Clinical Drug Trials

An application for authorisation must be submitted to Fimea on any clinical trial on medicinal products that intervenes with the inviolability of the trial subject in order to investigate the effects or properties of a medicinal product. The application for authorisation must be submitted regardless of whether the investigational medicinal product has a marketing authorisation or not. 

An application for authorisation must only be filed on interventional trials. An application for authorisation is not to be filed on other investigations. Such other investigation (non-interventional study) meets the following criteria: In the investigation, medicinal product(s) is (are) prescribed in the usual manner in accordance with the conditions set out in the marketing authorisation. The assignment of the patient to a particular therapeutic strategy is not decided in advance in the trial protocol but falls within the normal clinical practice, and decision to prescribe the medicinal product is clearly separate from the decision to include the subject in the study. No additional diagnostic or monitoring procedures shall be applied to the patients and epidemiological methods shall be used for the analysis of the collected data. 

In unclear cases, Fimea may be consulted on whether an application for authorisation must be filed on the clinical trial. To expedite processing, it is advisable to enclose the trial protocol with the enquiry.

Trials under the EU Clinical Trials Regulation (536/2014)

The EU Clinical Trials Regulation (536/2014)  became applicable starting from 31 January 2022. The Act on Clinical Trials on Medicinal Products was adopted on 24 November 2021.

The changes pertaining to clinical trials under the national legislation have entered into force on 31 January 2022 concurrently with the EU Regulation, with the exception that the provisions concerning the processing of personal data entered into force before this date. The Act on Clinical Trials lays down provisions on the matters required and enabled to be nationally regulated by the EU Regulation.

Following the entry into force of the EU Clinical Trials Regulation, sponsors shall submit trial applications electronically via a shared EU portal (Clinical Trials Information System, CTIS) maintained by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on a centralised basis to all those Member States in whose territory each trial is intended to be conducted. The Member States’ medicinal authorities will assess the applications simultaneously, with the medicinal authority of one Member State acting as the reporting Member State and the authorities of the other Member States acting as concerned Member States. 

More information on Clinical Trials under EU regulation on Fimea's webpage. 

The EU Regulation provides for a transitional period of three years during which the clinical trials in accordance with the EU Directive (2001/20/EC) and the national regulations issued thereunder can continue as before.

More information on Clinical Trials during the transitional period of 31.01.2022 to 30.01.2025 in Fimea's webpage.

Processing fees

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health confirms the processing fees payable for clinical trials by its decree (fees for the trials according to the EU Regulation and fees for the trials according to the Directive, in Finnish).

Fimea will issue invoices based on the new applications of new trials and substantial amendments admitted for processing. The invoicing details of new customers shall be reported to Fimea using the customer data reporting form (see Fimea’s website for more information). The cover letter must clearly state the reference information (for example, reference number, PO code, project code), which must be shown in the invoice.

Exemption from the processing fee may be requested in relating to a clinical trial conducted by an individual investigator, a team of investigators, a university department, a university hospital clinic or the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare without outside financing or with financing from a non-profit organisation. In these cases, the application for authorisation must be accompanied by a free-form statement attesting that the trial will not receive any outside financing. Medicinal products received free of charge for the purpose of the trial are not considered as outside financing.

Transferring a clinical trial approved under the Clinical Trials Directive to CTIS system and under the Clinical Trials Regulation will not be charged.

Use of medicines containing genetically modified organisms in a clinical trial

If medicinal products containing genetically modified organisms are used in a clinical trial, a notification of, or application for, their use must also be filed in advance with the Board for Gene Technology. Their use will only be allowed if, based on the risk assessment conducted, it is not considered to be harmful to human health or the environment.

Submission of results

The sponsor or principal investigator shall submit a report on the trial results to Fimea within one year of its completion. If any of the subjects were under 18 years of age and the sponsor is the marketing authorisation holder of the investigational medicinal product, the report shall be submitted within six months. The results of trials under the Directive shall be submitted both to Fimea and to the EudraCT database.

Trial protocol and trial subject information leaflet

The clinical trial protocol can be written on ones own template or using a pre-defined template (in Word format).

A template for the trial subject information leaflet and informed consent form is available (in Finnish) on the website of the National Committee on Medical Research Ethics Tukija.

Statistics on clinical trials

Statistics on clinical trials 2020 (link, in Finnish)

Fimea’s statistics on clinical trials for 2006–2019 can be requested by e-mail at [email protected].

Ask more

Fimea's clinical (drug) trials' phone service at 9 - 15 tel. +358 29 522 3402 or by e-mail [email protected]

Pekka Eränkö, Senior Medical Officer, tel. 029 522 3322
Pirjo Inki, Senior Medical Officer, tel. 029 522 3362
Mikko Jokisalo, Clinical Trials Coordinator, tel. 029 522 3337
Marita Kailajärvi, Senior Medical Officer, tel. 029 522 3355
Paula Koivumäki, Clinical Trials Coordinator, tel. 029 522 3343
Eija Mikkonen, Clinical Trials Coordinator, tel. 029 522 3393
Mari Pirttimäki, Clinical Trials Coordinator, tel. 029 522 3380
Elina Rantala, Senior Medical Officer, tel. 029 522 3383
Kaisa Sunela, Head of Division, tel. 029 522 3401