Column: The Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology in Pharmaceutic Industry
Zhao Zhen, Yang Meicheng, Li Gang
Objective: To explore the application potential and challenges of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug clinical trials, analyze relevant regulatory practices and trends in the United States and the European Union, and provide references for the application of AI in China's drug clinical trial field. Methods: Searched for current regulations, normative documents, and technical guidelines in the United States and the European Union, as well as cases and related literature published on the official websites of regulatory agencies. Discussed the application potential and challenges of AI in drug clinical trials, along with regulatory practices and insights from Europe and the United States. Resultsand Conclusion: AI has gradually begun to be applied in key aspects of drug clinical trials, but it faces issues such as data quality, model performance, ethical risks, and regulatory lag. By summarizing and analyzing relevant regulatory activities in the United States and the European Union, as well as the application of AI in regulation, we conclude that future regulation may focus on ethical compliance and patient safety, establish continuous supervision and accountability systems, and promote standards for trustworthy AI, data governance, and model evaluation. When deploying AI systems in key clinical trials, it is essential to clarify target scenarios, assess decision-making weights and consequences, ensure reproducibility and traceability of results, and conduct training. Collaboration and education play important roles in regulatory practices. Based on these findings, propose recommendations for China, including conducting regulatory science research, strengthening data governance standardization, and promoting the innovation of regulatory tools, to facilitate the standardized and healthy development of AI in China's drug clinical trials.