Block SIZE with SCM

Dear NMUsers, I am performing scm with PsN. My data have more than 50 covariates, this should be processed by $SIZES PD=100 at the beginning of the NONMEM file. However, it seems that scm command modifies this file by putting the block $PROBLEM at the first line. Here is the beginning of my code : $SIZES LVR=150 PD=-100 SPROBLEM empty model $DATA ID TIME AMT EVID DV CAT1 CAT2 ... Here is the code transformed in the LST file $SIZES LVR=150 PD=-100 $PROBLEM empty model $DATA ID TIME AMT EVID DV CAT1 CAT2 ... And at the end I have the following error NM-TRAN MESSAGES AN ERROR WAS FOUND IN THE CONTROL STATEMENTS. AN ERROR WAS FOUND ON LINE 1 AT THE APPROXIMATE POSITION NOTED: $SIZES LVR=150 PD=-100 $PROBLEM empty mod X THE CHARACTERS IN ERROR ARE: $ 20 UNKNOWN OPTION. Note that this is an issue for estimating the base model only. During the forward path scm automatically drops the unnecessary covariates keeping only the ones added at previous steps and the tested one. First estimate the base model and use the option -base_ofv seems to work however I will have the same issue if more than 50 covariates are added during the forward path. Thank you in advance for any help or any suggestions. Best Regards, Emeric Sibieude Student trainee in Master's degree Biopharma | R&D | Global Development | Translational Medicine Merck Lausanne , Switzerland [email protected] This message and any attachment are confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy this message or attachment or disclose the contents to any other person. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the message and any attachment from your system. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and any of its subsidiaries do not accept liability for any omissions or errors in this message which may arise as a result of E-Mail-transmission or for damages resulting from any unauthorized changes of the content of this message and any attachment thereto. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and any of its subsidiaries do not guarantee that this message is free of viruses and does not accept liability for any damages caused by any virus transmitted therewith. Click http://www.merckgroup.com/disclaimer to access the German, French, Spanish and Portuguese versions of this disclaimer.