The International Council for Harmonization (ICH) was established in 1990 as a joint regulatory-industry initiative to discuss international harmonization of pharmaceutical regulations. ICH has helped establish globally harmonized guidelines for drug development and regulation. Over the past 25 years, ICH has made significant progress harmonizing guidelines related to drug safety, quality, and efficacy. It aims to reduce unnecessary testing on humans and animals, eliminate delays in developing and approving new drugs internationally, and maintain regulatory standards to protect public health. ICH involves drug regulators and researchers from the EU, Japan, US and other regions in developing harmonized technical guidelines.