Compliance In Focus

This is the second of a two blog series on the Draft Guidance for Institutions and IRBs.  The first blog was published on January 7, 2016.

In November 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) jointly issued a draft guidance to assist both institutions and institutional review boards (IRBs) in preparing and maintaining minutes of IRB meetings. The requirement for an institution or IRB to prepare and maintain adequate documentation of IRB activities can be found in the regulations (45 CFR 46.115; 21 CFR 56.115) and inadequate meeting minutes has shown up as a common deficiency in 2014 IRB inspections and Warning Letters. As a result, the draft guidance was prepared to provide recommendations on the type and amount of information to include in the minutes.

The draft guidance “Minutes of Institutional Review Board (IRB) Meetings: Guidance for Institutions and IRBs” was released jointly by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) in November 2015. This draft guidance document is intended to assist institutions and IRBs responsible for preparing and maintaining minutes of IRB meetings, describe requirements for minutes, and provide recommendations for meeting the regulatory requirements for minutes.