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…

Great Britain’s MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) is known (and feared) for their high expectations regarding the TMF. MHRA expects your TMF to be “the story of how the trial was conducted and managed.” Their “inspectors want to reconstruct the trial conduct so that it can be evaluated for compliance …[and] review any…

“No-one goes to work to do a bad job!” This quote, penned by legendary management thinker W. Edwards Deming, was introduced to us by a friend of LMK, process improvement and human factors guru, Keith Dorricott. In a recent LMK webinar, Keith discussed best practices for TMF metrics, and arrived at the conclusion that this…