The Use of Biomarkers in Pharmacovigilance: A Systematic Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND: The use of biomarkers varies from disease etiognosis and diagnosis to signal detection, risk prediction, and management. Biomarker use has expanded in recent years, however, there are limited reviews on the use of biomarkers in pharmacovigilance and specifically in the monitoring and management of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). OBJECTIVE: The objective of this manuscript is to identify the multiple uses of biomarkers in pharmacovigilance irrespective of the therapeutic area. DESIGN: This is a systematic review of the literature. DATA SOURCES AND METHODS: Embase and MEDLINE database searches were conducted for literature published between 2010-March 19, 2021. Scientific articles that described the potential use of biomarkers in pharmacovigilance in sufficient detail were reviewed. Papers that did not fulfill the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) definition of a biomarker were excluded, which is based on the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH)−E16 guidance. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles were identified for evaluation. Most articles involved predictive biomarkers (41%), followed by safety biomarkers (38%), pharmacodynamic/response biomarkers (14%), and diagnostic biomarkers (7%). Some articles described biomarkers that applied to multiple categories. CONCLUSION: Various categories of biomarkers including safety, predictive, pharmacodynamic/response, and diagnostic biomarkers are being investigated for potential use in pharmacovigilance. The most frequent potential uses of biomarkers in pharmacovigilance in the literature were the prediction of the severity of an ADR, mortality, response, safety, and toxicity. The safety biomarkers identified were used to evaluate patient safety during dose escalation, identify patients who may benefit from further biomarker testing during treatment, and monitor ADRs.