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BACKGROUND: With the global proliferation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), conducting the Institutional Review Board (IRB) meetings conventionally, has become a difficult task Amid concerns about the suspension of drug development due to delays within the IRB, it has been suggested that IRB meetings be temporarily held online OBJECTIVE: By surveying the current state of Web-IRB, this study aimed to elucidate the current status of Web-IRB METHODS: A survey on Web-IRB meetings was conducted in Japanese national university hospitals Respondents were in charge of operating the IRB offices at the different universities This study is not a randomized controlled trial (RCT) RESULTS: The survey was done at 42 facilities between the end of May and early June, immediately after the state of emergency was lifted in Japan The survey yielded a response rate of 74% Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall number of reviews in clinical trial core hospitals has decreased Additionally, while 68% have introduced Web-IRB, 13% of the surveyed facilities have postponed IRB meetings Therefore, we conducted a further survey of 21 facilities that had implemented Web-IRB According to 71% of the respondents who implemented Web-IRB, there was no financial burden with implementation as it was free of charge In 90% of the facilities, Web-IRB meetings were already being conducted using personal electronic devices Furthermore, in 48% of the facilities, the Web conference system was used in conjunction with face-to-face meetings CONCLUSIONS: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of reviews in clinical trial core hospitals conducting clinical trials has decreased This suggests that the development of pharmaceuticals has stagnated because of COVID-19 According to 71% of the respondents using Web-IRB, the cost of introducing Web-IRB was $0, showing a negligible financial burden regarding implementation Moreover, it was shown that online deliberations could be carried out in the same manner as face-to-face meetings, as there was no significant change in the number of comments made by the board members To improve the quality of Web-IRB meetings, it is necessary to further examine the use of cameras during the meeting and the content displayed on members\' screens Further examination is required on all members who will utilize the Web conference system The measures addressing the requests and problems identified in this study could potentially be considered protocols for future IRB meetings when the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, and face-to-face meetings are possible again This study also highlights the importance of developing Web-IRBs to respond to future unforeseen pandemics
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