Blog Posts

About LMK’s How-To Series What makes someone an expert? Does it take a title, authority, or skill? At LMK we believe an expert, above all, is someone with the heart of a teacher—someone who doesn’t just possess advanced knowledge but is also willing to share that knowledge for the benefit of all.   LMK’s commitment…

In part one of our two-part series on FDA inspection of sponsors, we confirmed that no matter the extent of the responsibility delegated away to a CRO or other service provider, “the ultimate responsibility for the quality and integrity of the trial data always resides with the sponsor” (ICH GCP 5.2.1).   We also discussed…

Of all the challenging aspects of managing a Trial Master File (TMF), grappling with a high number of protocol amendments nears the top of the list.  With every new amendment comes the need to produce, track, and file all the documents that have changed in tandem with the amendment. The number of documents that may…

One of the golden rules of Trial Master File (TMF) management is to avoid duplicate filing of documents.  We all know that the primary objectives of the TMF is to provide step-by-step documentation of the clinical trial and to protect the rights of patients.  It is also vitally important for the TMF to facilitate, and…

Achieving inspection readiness means that during all stages of a clinical trial, a regulatory inspector would be able to walk into the building and reconstruct the trial using only the documents and metadata present in the Trial Master File (TMF). Although the concept of an inspection-ready TMF may be simply described, inspection readiness is not…

Discussion of FDA inspections, whether for cause or part of a routine GCP inspection, usually centers on the inspection of trial sites and the CROs who are tasked with managing them. The reason for the disproportionate focus on the inspection of trial sites and CROs stems from two material factors: the patient centered nature of…

Come meet LMK at booth 823 at DIA! We think it’s fitting that an event that will shape the future of the pharmaceutical industry is held in a city that is both entrenched in the history of our country and fully committed to the innovations of the future. Although LMK isn’t local to Boston, we…

A Message from Sholeh Ehdaivand President and CEO of LMK Clinical Research Consulting Sometimes when we are watching TV together, and an ad for a new drug comes on screen, my kids will ask, ‘Mom did you work on that?’ Sometimes I can say, yes I did! My first step as an entrepreneur was made…

In anticipation of the release of version 3 of the TMF Reference Model and in honor of David Letterman’s last “Late Show” appearance, this post mimics his famous Top 10 list. Here are the Top 10 reasons to implement the TMF Reference Model. Enjoy! #10. You can finally answer the question “does this document belong…