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    Data & Quality

    Data Monitoring Committee (DMC)

    A Data Monitoring Committee (DMC), also called a Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), is an independent group of experts that periodically reviews accumulating trial data to safeguard participant safety, study integrity, and scientific validity.

    DMCs are required for most large, blinded, randomized trials and for any trial with serious mortality or morbidity risk. The committee operates under a charter that defines membership, meeting cadence, voting rules, and escalation procedures.

    FDA's 2024 guidance on Use of Data Monitoring Committees and the EMA's 2005 guideline set independence and conflict-of-interest expectations.

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