Points To Consider When Developing A TMF (Trial Master File) Strategy

By Karen Redding, Global Business Development Director, Phlexglobal Ltd.

Many organizations are currently outsourcing clinical trial activities to one or more contract research organizations (CROs). This strategy enables companies to leverage specialized expertise and take advantage of flexible resourcing throughout the conduct of a clinical trial. Outsourcing minimizes the costs of recruiting experts, building a team and maintaining an infrastructure. However, it can also add complexity as the organization looks to meets its compliance obligations regarding clinical trial documentation.

The documentation referred to in Article 15(5) of Directive 2001/20/EC as the trial master file shall consist of essential documents, which enable both the conduct of a clinical trial and the quality of the data produced to be evaluated.This essential study specific documentation is also known as the TMF. As organizations try to minimize their reliance on paper files, the electronic TMF (eTMF) has emerged. A current industry initiative to standardize the organization of this content is known as the TMF Reference Model. This model is helping standardization efforts across paper and electronic systems.