When is the ICH E6 guideline legally enforced?

The ICH E6 guideline, which focuses on good clinical practice (GCP), becomes legally enforced when it is adopted as law by individual countries or regions. This means that countries must incorporate the principles and standards outlined in the ICH E6 guideline into their regulatory framework for clinical trials. Adoption varies by jurisdiction, reflecting local laws and regulatory practices.

The guideline itself provides a high-level framework intended for use across multiple countries to unify and harmonize GCP standards, but legal enforcement occurs at the national or regional level. Therefore, for the guideline to be enforceable, it must be integrated into the legal systems of the respective countries. Countries may implement different aspects or timings of adoption based on their regulatory landscapes. This results in a situation where the guideline may be actively enforced in some regions while remaining a guideline elsewhere until adopted as law.