Modeling harmony: learning from preclinical coordination of COVID-19 countermeasures

The all-hands-on-deck COVID-19 response provides a glimpse of what’s possible when drug developers converge around solving a problem. One of the most important developments might be in preclinical research where consensus on harmonized models and protocols would enable apples-to-apples comparisons before candidates start costly journeys through the clinic.

Most of the attention has gone to clinical trials, where master protocols represent the vanguard of harmonization, allowing treatments to be more quickly and efficiently assessed than standard clinical trials (see “Master Protocols Present Systematic Path for COVID-19”)...