WorkflowMedical Affairs

MLR Review Automation

MLR review automation that checks every claim at its cited page before committee

Every claim checked against its reference before committee.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo14claimspinned on one 4-page detail aid and each checked at its cited page — 4 not supported, 6 to fix
demo7live piecesfound still carrying the superseded safety information after a label change
target13.5daysmedian from submission to approval, every claim checked at its page
target58%of pieces approved in one round, the evidence beside every finding
In short

What is MLR Review Automation?

Software that takes the checking work out of medical, legal and regulatory review of promotional material. MLR Review Automation pins every claim on the piece, opens each cited reference at its page and compares the value, population, endpoint and timepoint, checks the claim against the current label, fair balance and brand rules, and routes the piece by risk. Reviewers decide each finding and sign.

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Updated

The problem

Why a promotional piece waits weeks for MLR approval

Before a detail aid, an HCP email or a TV spot can be used, medical, legal and regulatory reviewers must confirm that every claim says exactly what its source says, that risk is as prominent as benefit, and that the safety information matches the current label. Today a reviewer opens each cited reference by hand, finds the page and compares the number, the population, the endpoint and the timepoint — fourteen times for one detail aid. Each round of comments with the agency adds days, and pieces queue for the weekly committee.

The errors that get through are the costly kind: a descriptive subgroup shown as the study result, an exploratory endpoint shown as efficacy, a “safety profile similar to placebo”, safety text from a superseded label. Overstated efficacy, minimised risk and omitted risk information are what OPDP untitled and warning letters cite most often, and FDA judges the net impression of the whole piece.

typical24daysaverage from submission to approval across the industry (EY, 2024)
typical21daysaverage to approval in Veeva Pulse content metrics (2021)
Where a piece's review days goestimated
By hand29 days
With the solution13.5 days
  • Opening every cited reference and checking each claim at its page6 → 1.5 d
  • Comment rounds with the agency8 → 5 d
  • Checking claims and safety text against the current label3 → 0.5 d
  • Fair balance, brand and channel review3 → 1.5 d
  • Waiting for the weekly committee6 → 4 d
  • Signatures and the Form FDA 2253 package3 → 1 d

Estimated split of a piece's days in review, from the 29-day baseline in the working solution's sample data to the 13.5-day target — our estimate, not a measurement.

How it works

How a piece is checked

Six agents pin every claim and check it at its cited page; medical, regulatory and legal reviewers decide and sign.

What comes in
Piece in4 formats · detail aid, email, deck or TV script, with its references
Agents at work
Claim & anchor extractorevery claim pinned
Then
Reference verifierat the cited page
Label consistency checker
Fair balance & safety checker
Brand & channel rules checker
Then
Risk router & 2253 packagerfast · standard · committee
A person decides
Reviewersmedical · regulatory · legal
What comes out
The piece, every claim pinned
Routed to the right review
Form 2253 package
One case, step by step

One detail aid, from arrival to the 2253 package

P-2417, a four-page Veltrimab HCP detail aid for gastroenterologists — “Remission at 12 weeks and at 1 year” — comes in from the agency, Wrenfield Health, with its references. Here is what happens next, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Morning

    Every piece in review, with what is open on each

    Dr. Maya Chen · Medical reviewer

    Maya has pieces to sign before Thursday's committee. The review queue shows every piece with its tier, stage, open findings and who has signed. P-2417 is in reviewer check on the full-committee lane, due Oct 8, with 4 red and 6 amber findings. Two new pieces — a Talmirex HCP email from Priya Raman and a Veltrimab rep-triggered email — have arrived and wait for “Pin and check claims”.

    “I spend my week checking footnotes, not judging claims.”

  2. 02She opens P-2417

    The piece itself, every claim pinned

    Claim & anchor extractor · Reference verifier

    The four tablet pages are on screen with 14 claims underlined and pinned: 4 not supported, 6 to fix, 4 supported. Pin 6 is open. “2 out of 3 patients stay in remission at 1 year” is checked against VLT-302, opened at page 9 with the passage highlighted: the 67% comes from the 141 patients already in remission at week 12, a descriptive subgroup. The piece-against-source table marks the population and the analysis with a cross.

    “The label and the primary analysis report 46% vs 19% at week 52 in week-12 responders.”

  3. 03“Re-check every claim”

    Six agents check each claim at its page, in view

    The agents

    The extractor finds 14 claims across 4 pages and pins each one. The reference verifier opens every cited page: VLT-301 p.6 says the same — supported; p.7 week-2 relief rests on an exploratory endpoint; one anchor pointed at page 5 when the result is on page 6. The label checker flags safety information from the superseded label, and the fair balance checker flags risk text far less prominent than the benefit. The risk router has the piece at score 72 — full committee, Thursday 10:00.

    Each pin turns green, amber or red as its page is checked. The last one is the subgroup.

  4. 04One click

    The approved claim goes in

    Dr. Maya Chen · Medical reviewer

    Maya clicks “Use approved claim”. CL-036 replaces the subgroup line: “At week 52, 46% of patients were in clinical remission vs 19% with placebo†”, with its footnote on the re-randomised population. Pin 6 turns green and is marked Fixed, and the change is applied to the draft v3 and recorded.

    Every red finding offers an approved claim or the label wording — or “Send to agency”, or “Dismiss…” with a reason.

  5. 05Pin 11

    “#1” is broader than the data behind it

    Reference verifier · for Lena Ortiz, legal reviewer

    “The #1 prescribed biologic for new UC patients” is checked against the data on file, DOF-VLT-0412, at page 1: new-to-brand prescriptions among advanced therapies, GI-office prescribers only, Jun–Aug 2026 — 24.6% against 22.1%. The population, the comparator and the period do not match. The suggested change qualifies it: “Most new prescriptions among advanced therapies in GI offices, Jun–Aug 2026.*”

    “Show me the population behind ‘#1’.” — Lena Ortiz decides comparative wording.

  6. 06Pin 13

    Safety information from the superseded label

    Label consistency checker · for Omar Haddad, regulatory reviewer

    The Important Safety Information block matches label rev 03/2025 word for word. The current label, rev 09/2026, adds Warning 5.4 Hepatotoxicity, added Sep 18, 2026 — missing here. The fix swaps in the standard safety information module for rev 09/2026, approved by Omar Haddad on Sep 22.

    The label checker uses only the label version marked current.

  7. 07Fair balance

    Risk measured against benefit, for the reviewer to judge

    Fair balance & safety checker

    On the marked version the reading is 41 against the team's threshold of 70. Risk carries 14% of the words, set in 8 pt against a 22 pt benefit headline, at 45% contrast, on the last page after the references — with no direction to the full Prescribing Information. The finding asks for the safety information under the claims, 11 pt, at full contrast.

    “A reviewer makes the call — the reading is evidence, not a verdict.” The checker never passes or fails a piece on its own.

  8. 08All 10 decided

    She signs with the meaning of her signature

    Dr. Maya Chen · Medical reviewer

    Maya applies the remaining suggestions she has read — any she unticks stays open — and every pin is green: 10 accepted, 0 with agency, 0 dismissed, 0 open. The signature records its meaning and asks for her password before it is written.

    “I reviewed this piece for medical accuracy and confirm each claim is supported by the cited evidence and consistent with the current label.”

  9. 09Approved · Oct 7

    Three signatures, then the 2253 package

    Omar Haddad, Lena Ortiz · Risk router & 2253 packager

    Omar Haddad signs the regulatory review, label rev 09/2026 confirmed, and Lena Ortiz the legal review. Only then does the packager build the Form FDA 2253 package: the completed form, the final piece clean and annotated, the current Prescribing Information and the 7 annotated references. P-2417 leaves Thursday's agenda; Omar files at first use, Oct 12.

    A package is built only after every required signature.

  10. 10The label changed

    Seven live pieces still carry the old safety text

    Dana Okafor · MLR operations lead, committee chair

    The committee screen shows where the router placed each piece in review and Thursday's agenda — open judgement calls only. Beside it, the label change watch: Veltrimab rev 09/2026 added Warning 5.4 Hepatotoxicity and retired claim CL-019, and 7 approved, live pieces carry the old safety information. One click re-checks them: five revisions to swap the safety information, two withdrawals for a person to confirm.

    “Committee time is for judgement calls only.”

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who touches a promotional piece.

The same detail aid, seen by the five people who carry it — what their week looked like, and what it looks like now.

MC
Dr. Maya ChenMedical reviewer · Veltrimab and Corventa
Medical reviewer
Before
Opens every cited reference by hand to check the number, the population, the endpoint and the timepoint — “I spend my week checking footnotes, not judging claims.”
Now
Opens a piece already pinned, each claim beside its source page, and spends her time on the medical findings she has to decide before she signs.
OH
Omar HaddadRegulatory reviewer · label, fair balance, files the 2253
Regulatory reviewer
Before
Checks safety text against the label and files the 2253 — “One old safety block in the field is a letter waiting to happen.”
Now
Sees safety information compared word for word with the current label, the fair balance reading, and a 2253 package built only after every signature.
LO
Lena OrtizLegal reviewer · comparative wording and trademarks
Legal reviewer
Before
Asks for the data behind every superiority and comparative line — “Show me the population behind ‘#1’.”
Now
Sees the data on file opened at the page, with the population, comparator and period that do not match, and the qualified wording ready.
DO
Dana OkaforMLR operations lead · committee chair
MLR operations lead
Before
Runs a weekly committee that reads every piece, and answers for how long approval takes — “Committee time is for judgement calls only.”
Now
Sets the routing thresholds and signers once, sees each piece placed by risk, and runs label change sweeps across live pieces.
PR
Priya RamanAccount lead · Wrenfield Health (agency)
Agency account lead
Before
Uploads pieces and revisions, then waits for comments from three reviewers — “Tell me what to change, once, with the page.”
Now
Gets each change request with its finding and the suggested change, and the agents re-check the revised version when it arrives.
Built on the engine

6 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Six agents pin every claim and check it at its cited page; medical, regulatory and legal reviewers decide and sign.

Claim & anchor extractor

Finds every claim, statistic and reference anchor in a piece — email, PDF, deck or TV script — records each statistic as value, comparator, endpoint and timepoint, and pins it on the piece.

  • Quotes claims verbatim — never paraphrases
  • Every claim keeps its page and position
Reference verifier

Opens each cited reference at the anchored page, finds the passage and checks the value, the comparator, the population and whether the endpoint was primary, key secondary or exploratory; re-anchors a claim that points at the wrong page.

  • Cites the page and passage for every verdict
  • Exploratory and subgroup results are never “supported” as efficacy claims
Label consistency checker

Compares each claim with the current Prescribing Information, and the safety information word for word with the current label version, naming any missing warning.

  • Only the current label version counts
  • Names the label section for every finding
Fair balance & safety checker

Measures how prominent risk is next to benefit — share of words, type size, contrast, placement and, for audio, words a second — and checks the required statements and links for the channel.

  • Reports measurements, never a pass or fail on its own
Brand & channel rules checker

Checks approved phrasing, trademarks, absolute and superiority words, comparative wording and channel rules against the brand guide.

  • Suggests the approved phrasing, never invents a claim
Risk router & 2253 packager

Scores each piece and routes it to fast track, standard review or full committee, then builds the Form FDA 2253 package on approval.

  • Broadcast pieces always go to full committee
  • Never approves a piece; builds a package only after every required signature
Reviewers

Medical, regulatory and legal sign. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask about any piece, claim or label, in plain words

Ask about any piece, claim, reference or label — or say what to change. Every answer points to its page.

Why is the week-2 claim not allowed?

Because the week-2 result is exploratory: 22% vs 14% with no rectal bleeding, nominal p=0.03, not controlled for multiplicity — the authors say no conclusion on early onset should be drawn. The label describes no timepoint before week 12, so presenting it as an efficacy claim fails the consistent-with-labeling test. The closest approved claim is CL-031: clinical response at week 12, 58% vs 33%.

Which live pieces still carry the old Veltrimab safety information?

Seven approved, live pieces still carry the rev 03/2025 safety information, which has no hepatotoxicity warning — among them the HCP website home, the dosing card and rep-triggered email #3. Five are proposed for revision; two for withdrawal — one also says “similar to placebo”, the other uses retired claim CL-019.

Can we say “#1”?

Only with the population the data covers. DOF-VLT-0412 measures new-to-brand prescriptions among advanced therapies, GI-office prescribers only, Jun–Aug 2026 — 24.6% vs 22.1%. Suggested wording: “Most new prescriptions among advanced therapies in GI offices, Jun–Aug 2026*” with the footnote. Lena Ortiz decides comparative wording.

Flag “well tolerated” unless the adverse-event rates are beside it

Added. The rule “well tolerated” needs the rates beside it is now a check in Settings, and the fair balance agent applied it to the pieces in review: P-2402 slide 22 says “well tolerated” with no rates — discontinuations were 4.2% vs 3.9%. It is flagged for Thursday.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

The pinned pieceThe detail aid with every claim pinned green, amber or red, and the open pin's cited reference at its page with the piece-against-source check.
Review queuePieces arrived and not yet checked, and every piece in review with its tier, stage, open findings, signatures and due date.
Checking every claim at its pageThe agents at work: each claim checked against its cited page, the label, fair balance and brand rules, pin by pin.
Approved claim appliedThe subgroup line replaced by approved claim CL-036 with its footnote, the pin marked Fixed and the change recorded.
A comparative claim“#1” checked against the data on file: claim, population, comparator and period, with the qualified wording.
Safety information against the labelThe safety block compared with the superseded and current label versions, and the missing hepatotoxicity warning.
Fair balance readingRisk against benefit — share of words, type size, contrast, placement, current safety text and the link to the full PI — against the team's threshold.
Sign the medical reviewThe findings decided, the meaning of the signature and the password that confirms it.
Sign-off and the 2253 packageThree signatures, the Form FDA 2253 package ready for first use, and the record of people and agents.
Committee and label change watchRouting lanes by risk, Thursday's agenda of open judgement calls, and the live pieces a label change has made out of date.
Claims libraryPre-approved claims with their reference page, label section, status and how many pieces use them.
DashboardPieces approved, median days to approval, one-round approvals, the routing mix, what the agents found and where.
Your rulesRouting thresholds, the fair balance threshold, who signs per brand and the checks the agents run.
Governance

Built for promotional compliance: cited, signed, on the record.

Every finding cites its pageEach finding links to the reference page and passage, or the label section, it rests on — opened beside the claim, with the piece-against-source check row by row.
Only the current label countsClaims and safety information are checked against the label version marked current, and a label change re-checks every approved, live piece, proposing revise or withdraw for a person to confirm.
Named reviewers decide and signThe agents never approve. Medical, regulatory and legal reviewers sign every piece — one signature on fast track, three on standard and committee — and each signature carries its meaning.
A dismissal needs a reasonA reviewer can accept the approved claim, send the change to the agency or dismiss a finding; dismissing a high finding needs a written reason.
The 2253 package follows the signaturesThe Form FDA 2253 package is built only after every required signature, and the regulatory reviewer files it at first use.
One record for people and agentsEvery agent check, accepted change, dismissal and signature is on the record with who and when, and every change to routing, signers or checks is versioned.
Configuration

Your review standards, not ours

Routing, signers and the checks the agents run are settings. Every change is versioned and on the audit trail.

SettingDefaultChoose from
Fast track belowscore 30score 20 · score 30 · score 40 — one reviewer when nothing is high
Full committee fromscore 60score 50 · score 60 · score 70
Always full committeeOnBroadcast (TV, radio) and first pieces of a launch
Fair balance threshold7060 · 70 · 80 — for email and digital channels, shown as the line on the reading
Who signs, per brandVeltrimab: Dr. Maya Chen, Omar Haddad, Lena OrtizMedical: Dr. Maya Chen or Dr. Sana Iqbal · regulatory: Omar Haddad or Dana Okafor · legal: Lena Ortiz or Ben Adler — three signatures on standard and committee, one on fast track
Checks the agents run7 of 8 onReference page match · Consistent with the label · Current safety information · Fair balance reading · Exploratory and subgroup data · Absolute and superiority words · Trademarks and approved phrasing · Accessibility (off)
Add a ruleDescribed in a sentenceThe assistant turns it into a check for your approval
Label and reference sourcesPrescribing Information checked nightlyCurrent versions from the regulatory label store · reference library indexed by page
Connections

Works with the material a piece already carries

Promotional piecesdetail aids, HCP and rep-triggered emails, decks, TV scripts, banners, brochures, social posts
Annotated referencespublications, study reports and data on file, indexed by page
Prescribing Informationthe current label and earlier versions, Medication Guides, safety information modules
Approved claims libraryeach claim with its reference, page, label section and status
Brand guide and channel standardsapproved phrasing, trademarks, required statements and links
Form FDA 2253the package at first use: form, final piece, current PI, annotated references
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

target
13.5days
median from submission to approval, every claim checked at its page
Before29 days
With agents13.5 days
target
58%
of pieces approved in one round, the evidence beside every finding
approved in one round
target
41%
of pieces fast-tracked to one reviewer; only 16% reach the full committee

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample pieces · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate · “typical” = published figures (EY 2024 benchmark, 24 days average to approval; Veeva Pulse Content Metrics 2021, 21 days). Regulatory context: 21 CFR 202.1(e) on fair balance and consistency with labeling; Form FDA 2253 at first use under 21 CFR 314.81(b)(3)(i) and 601.12(f)(4). The 29-day baseline is the fictional company's own in the working solution. People, companies, brands, studies and the agency named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What MLR and promotional review teams ask us.

What is MLR review automation?

Software that takes the checking work out of medical, legal and regulatory review of promotional material. MLR Review Automation pins every claim on the piece, opens each cited reference at its page and compares the value, population, endpoint and timepoint, checks the claim against the current label, fair balance and brand rules, and routes the piece by risk. Reviewers decide each finding and sign.

How does it check a claim against its reference?

The reference verifier opens the cited reference at the anchored page, finds the passage and compares the piece with the source row by row: value, population, analysis and timepoint. It names the page for every verdict, moves an anchor that points at the wrong page, and never calls a subgroup or exploratory result supported as an efficacy claim.

Does it catch safety information from an old label?

Yes. The label consistency checker compares the safety information word for word with the label version marked current and names any missing warning. When a new label version is approved, the label change watch re-checks every approved, live piece and proposes revise or withdraw for a person to confirm.

How does it judge fair balance?

The fair balance and safety checker measures risk against benefit: share of words, type size, contrast, placement and, for audio, words a second, plus the required statements and links for the channel. It shows a reading against your threshold as evidence for the reviewer and never passes or fails a piece on its own.

Does it build the Form FDA 2253 package?

Yes, on approval and only after every required signature: the completed form, the final piece clean and annotated, the current Prescribing Information and the annotated references. The regulatory reviewer files it at first use.

Do reviewers stay in control?

Yes. The agents never approve or sign. Each finding is accepted, sent to the agency or dismissed by a named reviewer — a high finding needs a written reason — and medical, regulatory and legal reviewers sign with the meaning of their signature: one on fast track, three on standard and committee.

Can we set our own routing, signers and checks?

Yes. The fast-track and committee score thresholds, the broadcast rule, the fair balance threshold, the signers per brand and each check the agents run are settings, versioned and on the audit trail. A new rule can be described in a sentence and becomes a check once you approve it.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your review SOPs, brand guides, label versions, claims library and a sample of past pieces with their references — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on your own pieces first.

See it on
your pieces.

We'll run MLR Review Automation on a sample of your own past promotional pieces and their references.