Translating medical devices: A rule-driven game - Volume 33, Issue

Translation for medical devices often presents a unique set of challenges arising from the products’ complex natures and associated regulatory requirements. Beyond medical expertise, linguists – from translators and editors to bilingual quality…

A history of EMWA - Volume 27, Issue

EMWA has now been in existence for 25 years! How is that possible? Time has flown by, and brought with it much change and growth of which we should be proud. This is an oppor tunity to reflect back on the organisation as it was at its genesis, is…

Carbon footprint of EMWA activities: A first estimate - Volume 32, Issue

The Sustainability Special Interest Group (SUS-SIG) of EMWA was established in 2020 to support the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development from the perspective of a not-for-profit professional organisation for medical writers and…

Plain language and readability - Volume 24, Issue

Plain language is writing in clear, concise language that is easy to read and understand. Whenever I hear the term plain language I am reminded of a lay summary I was once asked to edit. The stream of technical language (‘self-source bias’, ‘effect m…

Post-approval regulatory writing - Volume 23, Issue

Regulatory writing basics - Volume 23, Issue

The role of a regulatory writer is to produce regulatory documents (usually taken to refer to documents that are submitted in some form to the health authorities). These documents should adhere to the relevant guidance and be fit for purpose, meani…

Overview of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) impact on medical writing for clinical trials - Volume 32, Issue

The European General Data Protection Regulation 2016/ 679 (GDPR) aims to ensure the security and privacy of individuals in the European Union (EU). Companies located within and outside of the EU must comply with GDPR when processing personal data…

Regulatory initiatives for artificial intelligence applications: Regulatory writing implications - Volume 32, Issue

Applications of artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) components in drug development are growing exponentially. The trend is expected to continue. The growth has resulted in increased engagements on the part of regulatory agencies to…

Harmonising linguistic validation with AI: Precision, efficiency, and the human touch in patient-reported outcome translation - Volume 33, Issue

The surge in artificial intelligence (AI) prompts a reassessment of linguistic validation methods for patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. The robust linguistic process, designed to adapt PRO measures for different cultures and languages, is…

Why clinical study reports really matter - Volume 27, Issue

Clinical study reports (CSRs) have so far served as documents for drug approval, but not as a data source for further use in research and post-regulatory decision-making. Sound post-regulatory decisions also require data other than those available…