This guidance provides information on the procedures and general policies adopted by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) for special protocol assessment (SPA). SPA is a process in which sponsors may ask to meet with FDA to reach agreement on the design and size of certain clinical trials, clinical studies, or animal studies (i.e., a Request for SPA (hereafter Request); see section III., Eligible Protocols and General Information) to determine if they adequately address scientific and regulatory requirements for a study that could support marketing approval.
An SPA agreement indicates concurrence by FDA with the adequacy and acceptability of specific critical elements of overall protocol design (e.g., entry criteria, dose selection, endpoints, and planned analyses) for a study intended to support a future marketing application. These elements are critical to ensuring that the trial conducted under the protocol can be considered an adequate and well-controlled study that can support marketing approval.
Feedback on these issues provides the greatest benefit to sponsors in planning late-phase development strategy. However, an SPA agreement does not indicate FDA concurrence on every protocol detail, as described further in section III.B.2, Reaching SPA Agreement With FDA.