A Regulatory-Ready Bayesian Evidence Framework across Clinical Development and Pharmacovigilance: Practical Expectations from FDA, EMA, and ICH Guidance
摘要
Bayesian methods are increasingly used in clinical development and pharmacovigilance, especially when evidence is sparse, accrues sequentially, or must incorporate external information. Translation of high-level regulatory principles into an auditable, submission-ready Bayesian package remains inconsistent. Publicly available FDA, EMA, and ICH documents relevant to Bayesian implementation were reviewed, including Bayesian-specific guidance and recommendations that materially shape Bayesian analyses (for example, adaptive designs, externally controlled trials, estimands/sensitivity analyses, and pharmacovigilance signal management). Findings are synthesized into a practical framework organized around four deliverables that repeatedly emerge as regulatory decision drivers: (1) governed external information and prior specification, including quantification of prior influence and safeguards for prior–data conflict; (2) decision criteria paired with simulation-based characterization of operating characteristics under realistic scenarios; (3) structured sensitivity analyses that probe priors, borrowing, model forms, estimand-related assumptions, and key pharmacovigilance definitions; and (4) transparency and reproducibility, including pre-specification, traceability of data sources and transformations, and clear interpretation of Bayesian outputs for the intended decision (triage vs. confirmation). These deliverables are mapped to post-authorization pharmacovigilance workflows, where Bayesian shrinkage and hierarchical modeling are frequently used despite method-neutral guidance. The resulting framework provides a concise “regulatory-ready” evidence blueprint applicable across development programs and pharmacovigilance systems. This synthesis incorporates FDA’s January 2026 draft guidance on Bayesian methodology in clinical trials of drug and biological products [