The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), part of the Department of Health, has granted provisional determinations in relation to COVID-19 treatments.

The granting of a provisional determination means that the TGA has made a decision that relevant sponsors are now eligible to apply for provisional registration for the treatment in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG).

Provisional determination is the first step in the process and does not mean that an application has or will be made, or that the treatment will be provisionally approved for inclusion in the ARTG. Provisional determinations are effective for 6 months.

Normally for a treatment to be registered in Australia, a sponsor (usually a pharmaceutical company) is required to submit a complete and comprehensive package of data to the TGA. A formal evaluation is then carried out in multiple stages by technical experts prior to a decision being made.

The provisional pathway provides a formal and transparent mechanism for speeding up the registration of promising new treatments with preliminary clinical data. To apply for provisional registration, the sponsor must first apply for a provisional determination. Further information on eligibility criteria can be found at: Provisional determination: A step-by-step guide for prescription medicines.

In making its decision to grant these provisional determinations, the TGA considered eligibility criteria, including factors such as the evidence of a plan to submit comprehensive clinical data and the seriousness of the current COVID-19 pandemic.