An aspect of contamination control is the assurance that residual material is not carried over into successive batches by incomplete cleaning of equipment. Cleaning procedures (both the cleaning process and the analytical method to verify cleaning effectiveness) to provide this assurance should be validated. Sampling of equipment for the purpose of cleaning validation or cleaning […]
The WHO has a draft July 2013 guidance document titled “Deviation Handling and Quality Risk Management” that addresses the concept that not all Quality Events are equivalent and provides consideration for the classification of events. For example, an incident would be an event that does not: “…affect a product attribute, manufacturing operational parameter or the […]
Working in the pharmaceutical industry, you can sometimes hear science and compliance talked about as if they are separate and unrelated. Two examples of what can be heard: “Oh well, that is more of a compliance risk than a scientific concern.” “You need to consider the compliance aspect of that change and then the scientific […]
Although the FDA’s regulatory requirements for acceptance of vendor test results in lieu of testing is clearly specified in 21 CFR 211.84 for incoming raw materials and container closures, the FDA has not put forth specific regulations for the acceptance of single-use consumables. Biologics manufacturers may use dozens or even hundreds of different single-use consumables […]
On May 1, 2024, the first version of USP General Chapter <1079.4> on Temperature Mapping for the Qualification of Storage Areas became official, and it is the fourth part of USP General Chapter <1079> on Risks and Mitigation Strategies for the Storage and Transportation of Finished Drug Products, which also includes: USP General Chapter <1079.1> on Storage and Transportation […]
It’s fascinating to see the evolution and potential future of visual inspection in the pharmaceutical industry. The shift from manual methods to cutting-edge automated systems with artificial intelligence has significantly improved efficiency, accuracy, and reliability in product inspections. By leveraging AI technology in visual inspections, pharmaceutical companies can benefit from enhanced defect detection capabilities, greater […]
On March 7, 2024, the FDA adopted ICH Guideline Q14 Analytical Procedure Development, which became official on November 1, 2023. This guidance complements updated ICH Guideline Q2(R2) Validation of Analytical Procedures, which also became official on November 1, 2023 and was adopted by the FDA on March 6, 2024. The Q14 guidance (here) combines a science- and risk-based approach […]
The FDA has issued a white paper on “CDER’s Quality Management Maturity (QMM) Program: Practice Areas and Prototype Assessment Protocol Development.” The paper details a program the center intends to establish whereby the goal is to promote QMM throughout the industry. Lachman recently issued a blog relating to this initiative that can be found here. […]
Amsterdam’s iconic concentric circles of interlocking canals, its international appeal and its historical role in shaping our modern world provided the perfect backdrop for the 2023 ISPE Europe Annual Conference which, in Amsterdam fashion, served as a focus for some of the pharmaceutical industry’s most important and contemporary challenges –forces which will most certainly reshape […]
Just look around, watch the television, read the newspaper, and what do you see? Seems like very few reasons to be thankful. School and workplace shootings, the political scene is as nasty as I ever remember in my 70 years on earth. Climate change is threatening the future of our children, and the environmental controls […]
