Pharmaceutical Resources Branch (PRB), as part of the DTP drug development team, provides comprehensive pharmaceutical services to further its mission of bringing important laboratory discoveries to the patient's bedside. The primary responsibilities of the Branch are to provide high quality chemical substances and formulated products for preclinical studies and clinical evaluation. Patients receiving these agents are enrolled in investigational studies sponsored by the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) of DCTD. PRB also provides materials and resources for the extramural community through the RAID program. PRB meets these responsibilities by maintaining and managing a comprehensive contract research program. The contract activities may be grouped into the following operational areas:
- Chemical synthesis, scale up and bulk GMP Production
- Analytical research, development and Quality Control
- Pre-formulation research and dosage form development
- Clinical dosage form manufacturing.
- Shelf-life assessment of clinical products.
Groups of contractors are competitively selected in each of the above areas based on their expertise in the field. The contracts are awarded for periods ranging from three to five years. The PRB staff members are responsible for project assignment, scientific direction, and active management of the contracts.