Claims Matrix

Updated 2026-07-13 · markdown version

A claims matrix is the controlled inventory of statements a pharmaceutical company is permitted to make about a product, with each claim paired to its approved supporting evidence. A complete row carries the verbatim approved wording, the claim type, the substantiating reference(s) with page/column/paragraph locators, approval status and history, and any required safety pairing (fair balance/ISI in the US).

The matrix is upstream of everything: writers draw approved language from it, reviewers verify against it, and annotated references in deliverables are ultimately lookups into it. Closely related terms: claims library (often the same artifact, database-flavored), core claims document (frequently the launch-time master), and UK usage keeps "claims matrix" as-is.

Most matrices live in spreadsheets, and their failure modes are structural: no tracking of where claims are used, no propagation when a claim is revised or retired, no drift detection when deliverable text diverges from approved wording. See How to Build a Claims Matrix for a working structure and the point at which a spreadsheet stops being enough.