Clinical Research Solutions
Are you moaning about cleaning?
From time to time in this industry, you will hear someone bemoaning the fact that they have to do a cleaning validation. If this happens to be you, have no fear and remember the following five points...
Clinical Research Solutions
CMO Selection Process
Today, more pharmaceutical companies are turning to outsourcing their products as a strategic part of their business model. There are a number of drivers for this shift to soliciting the services of...
Who Owns Quality?
When it comes to the Healthcare industry (e.g. pharmaceuticals, medical devices, dietary supplements, etc.) who owns a company's Quality Assurance practices? Without a doubt the Quality organization...
Challenges When Qualifying a GMP Analytical Laboratory
Expanding an existing lab or establishing a new lab is an exciting time; new equipment, new facility, a fresh start. The key to having a successful laboratory qualification project is communication...
Clinical Research Solutions
The Cost of Inadequately Scheduling Cleaning Validation
Ever wonder why some—most—projects don’t go as planned? Let me take a chance at explaining what I have observed in the last few decades. Firstly, let us assume that you have contracted a well-known...
Assay Streamlining, Benefits and Drawbacks
As a biopharmaceutical company matures and new products are added to its portfolio, expansion of its facilities, systems and Quality Control is a natural outcome. The growth in the Quality Control...
Process Validation: Gate Eight of the Nine Gate Transfer Process
Today we have the next phase of the Nine Gate Transfer Process: Gate 8 Process Validation. To review the previous steps before continuing, examine Gates 1-7 here: Gate 1: Assessment Gate 2:...
To Requalify or to Continuously Monitor, That is the Question
Your manufacturing equipment and processes have been established, qualified and validated; all you have to do now is rake in the profits right? Think again, the process of maintaining the validated...
Words, Words, Words: The Importance of Diction in Regulatory Submissions
In continuation of its series of guidances on electronic submissions, FDA recently released a guidance for receipt dates of electronic submissions which emphasizes one important fact: word choice...
Clinical Research Solutions
What’s the Skinny on Dietary Supplements?
One doesn't have to spend much time in a pharmacy, grocery store or even a typical American house to see that dietary supplements have found a place in people's lives. In fact, roughly 54% of U.S....
Understanding Statistical Intervals: Part 3 - Tolerance Intervals
We saw in Part 1 of this series how a confidence interval can be calculated to define a range within which the true value of a statistical parameter such as a mean or standard deviation is likely to...
The $142 Million Question: Will the Kaiser Judgment Encourage More Private Payor Actions for Off-Label Promotion?
If enforcement against pharmaceutical companies for off-label promotion by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) were not...
Clinical Research Solutions
Understanding Statistical Intervals Part 1 - Confidence Intervals
Statistical intervals are staples of the quality and validation practitioner’s statistical tool box. Statistical intervals can manifest as plus-or-minus limits on test data, represent a margin of...
Critical Process Parameters and Critical Quality Attributes: Why Does the Selection Process Take so Long?
Quick, can you name the top 10 Critical Process Parameters (CPPs) and Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) of your bio-pharmaceutical manufacturing process? Well if you hesitated don't feel bad. Most...
Quality & Compliance
Three Key Steps to Conducting a Strong Investigation
Unexpected events often happen in the everyday world. However, in the regulated world great efforts are made to minimize the severity and frequency of unexpected events. Yet, despite best efforts,...
FDA Comments on Proposed Prescription Drug Labeling
Standardized prescription drug labeling was implemented by FDA in 1979. In the following years as labeling became more complex, FDA re-evaluated its usefulness and published a final rule in 2006...