9/08/2020
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On April 7, 2020, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) released a Notice to sponsors on validation and qualification of computerized systems used in clinical trials. This guidance is applicable for clinical trials conducted in the EU and clarifies that even though a sponsor may delegate all or part of clinical trial activities out to a company, the ultimate responsibility for validation of software tools or electronic systems remains with the sponsor. This guidance also clarifies that most vendors focus on system security of the participant’s personal data, but they lack a focus on how an electronic system used in a clinical trial must comply with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the documentation principles of ALCOA+.