Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) Practice Exam 2026 – All-in-One Guide to Master Your Certification!

When assessing the causality of an adverse event, it's crucial to understand the roles and responsibilities of both the Investigator and the Sponsor. The Investigator typically conducts an initial assessment based on their clinical judgment and the information available at the time. However, the Sponsor has an overarching responsibility to ensure the safety of study participants and the integrity of the research data.

If a Sponsor disagrees with the Investigator's causality assessment, they can indeed upgrade the relatedness from 'no' to 'yes.' This means the Sponsor may classify an event as related to the study drug when the Investigator has deemed it unrelated. This action might stem from additional information that the Sponsor possesses, which was not available to the Investigator. For instance, data from other studies, reports, or consultations with a safety monitoring board could influence the Sponsor's perspective on potential causality.

It's essential for the Sponsor to communicate any significant discrepancies transparently, as these decisions can impact the safety monitoring of the study and regulatory reporting obligations. The relationship between the Investigator's and Sponsor's assessments is cooperative, but in situations where discrepancies arise regarding event causality, the Sponsor is empowered to make modifications in the interest of participant safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.