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IND stands for Investigational New Drug application. This is the regulatory submission you file with the FDA before you can begin testing a new drug in people. It brings together preclinical safety and effectiveness data, details about how the drug is manufactured and controlled for quality, and a plan for the clinical trials—including study protocols, investigator qualifications, and informed consent measures. The goal is to show that moving into human studies is justified and that participants will be protected.

If the FDA approves or does not place a hold on the IND, clinical testing can start in controlled phases. Other phrases like International New Drug, Independent Drug, or Industrial New Drug aren’t standard terms in this regulatory context; the established term is Investigational New Drug application.