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Investigational New Drug

Meaning

An Investigational New Drug (IND) is a pharmaceutical compound or biological product that has not yet been formally approved for general use by a national regulatory authority, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is authorized for use in controlled clinical trials on human subjects. This regulatory status grants the sponsor permission to ship the drug across state lines for the purpose of gathering the essential safety and efficacy data required for eventual market approval. The IND application is the mandatory first step in the formal, multi-phased drug development and approval process.