INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH

International Health Division

 

Guidance on transfer of human biological material for commercial purposes and /or research for development of commercial products

Announcement for submission of applications

As per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & F.W; Govt. of India (vide O.M.No.19015/53/1997-IH Pt.) dated 19th November, 1997, a Committee has been constituted by DG, ICMR to consider the cases related to transfer of human biological material for commercial purposes. The evaluation of cases where infectious biological material/samples are proposed to be transferred from foreign research centers to Indian diagnostic laboratories/research centers or vice versa for analysis; transfer of human biological waste material or any other cases for commercial purposes will be considered by this committee. This will be a continuous process and ICMR will process the applications four times in a year.

Ten sets of the application including copies of the following documents are required to be submitted by the applicants to ICMR:

 

1.       Duly filled in application form for transfer of samples.  Download format

2.       A copy of the duly signed Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). Download format

3.       A copy of the Institutional/Independent Ethics Committee (IEC) clearance along with the composition of Ethics committee.

4.       A copy of the patient information sheet and informed consent form ( as approved by IEC)  giving details on the utilization of samples of the patient for a particular research/R&D study and the kind of benefit (direct/indirect or no benefit - as applicable) for appropriate decision making by the patient.

5.       A copy of the Informed consent/undertaking of individual patient(s) agreeing to the utilization of his/her said biological samples for a particular study/purpose. The undertaking should also clearly state that the patient is willing /not willing (as agreeable to patient) to claim any commercial benefit on the product developed as a result of work carried out on his/her biological samples.

6.       A copy of the import certificate as issued by the relevant foreign regulatory authority to the foreign laboratory receiving the Indian biological samples.

7.       A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Indian laboratory and international agency defining the commercial benefits to each party.

8.       A copy of safety or operations manual being followed/adopted as safety procedures by your laboratory for the workers involved in activities involving possible exposure to pathogens through blood or other body fluids is to be submitted.

9.       A copy of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certificate as issued by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India/or equivalent is to be submitted.

10.   The disposal plan and necessary clearances for disposal of biohazardous, potentially infectious leftover samples is to be submitted. An Undertaking that GoI guidelines on biomedical disposal will be followed to be submitted.

11.   A copy of the valid recognition letter as issued by office of DCGI for approval as Bioavailability/Bioequivalence study centre (for laboratories where biological samples are being received for BA/BE studies).

 

Note:

  •         For transfer of samples, the Indian applicant should follow the ‘Guidance on regulations for the transport of Infectious substances (2009-2010)’ as published by World Health Organization Download guidelines. There are specific packing instructions as per United Nations class (6.2) specifications to be followed during transport of infectious substances. Unless otherwise declared the biological materials such as blood and/or blood components; dried blood spots and faecal occult blood; medical or clinical wastes are to be considered under the ‘infectious substance category’.

  •     The applicants are required to indicate the category under which the infectious substances/organisms fall. In addition to categories indicated as per UN class specifications in WHO guidelines(2009-10), the applicant should also refer to the relevant categories mentioned under SCOMET items in schedule of India’s Foreign Trade Policy classification (downloadable) as well as Animal and Human pathogens scheduled as Risk Groups in the Ministry of Environment and Forests Notification,GoI,1989 (downloadable). Accordingly, the ‘category’ in terms of infectious nature/risk group of biological substances to be transferred is required to be assigned and indicated by the applicant.

Applications complete in all respect should be submitted at the following address:

International Health Division (Attn: Dr. Harpreet Sandhu)

Indian Council of Medical Research,

V. Ramalingaswami Bhawan, Ansari Nagar,

New Delhi – 110029, Tele fax: 011-26589492

Last date for this call for submission of applications : 31st January, 2012

(Future deadlines for submission of applications would be 31st January; 31st April; 31st July and 31st October in each calendar year)

   

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