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ProPharma’s team of dedicated experts is at the forefront of both existing and emerging industry trends. ProPharma’s team inspires tomorrow by leveraging rich data insights across our service lines and functional areas to develop innovative solutions that answer the most complex needs of both existing and prospective clients.

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From Defensible to Predictive: How High-Functioning MLR Teams Are Evolving Their Risk Assessment Approach

For several years, FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) maintained a relatively low enforcement profile. For example, between 2022 and 2024, the Agency issued only 14 Untitled and Warning Letters, leading many to view promotional enforcement as relatively predictable and infrequent....

Quality & Compliance

#7: Quality Systems Approach to Pharmaceutical CGMP Regulations

In August 2002, the FDA announced the Pharmaceutical CGMPs for the 21st Century Initiative, which explained FDA’s intent of integrating quality systems and risk management approaches, and had a goal...

Full-Service CRO

The Investigation Best Practices to Avoid FDA 483 Observations

For a number of years, discrepancy and failure investigations within the pharmaceutical industry have been populating the Top 3 of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Observation list....

#8: Special Protocol Assessment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance on the Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) in May 2016, updating the original SPA guidance issued in 2002. SPAs are meant to give...

Regulatory Sciences

#10: Investigator Responsibilities – Protecting the Rights, Safety, & Welfare of Study Subjects

In October 2009, the FDA issued a guidance document regarding its expectations for investigators during the conduct of clinical investigations. The guidance, entitled Investigator...

Regulatory Sciences

Top Ten FDA Guidance Documents That You Should Know

There are a number of laws, regulations, and guidance documents ruling the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Laws are passed by Congress and must be followed by the FDA. The Agency then...

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Quality & Compliance

Is Your Laboratory PC Cloned From the Proper Image?

Managing compliance for computerized lab systems includes the PC controlling your qualified instruments. This is an integral audit point that must be maintained to ensure compliance. Ah, but you’re...

Quality & Compliance

How critical is the Technology Transfer phase of new drug development?

During the development phase of a new drug, great pains are taken to characterize the molecule and to run a myriad of laboratory and animal tests to determine the product attributes, toxicology...

Quality & Compliance

Does Your Training Program Have Traction?

With the spotlight these days on Data Integrity, it may be easy to lose sight of some fundamental Quality Systems. Core Quality Systems include Document Management, Investigation Management, and...

Quality & Compliance

How Much Can You Afford NOT to Know?

The Regulatory Guidance embodied by ICHQ8 through (soon to be written) ICHQ12 tells us in no uncertain terms that we must protect the patient across the product lifecycle by assuring quality based on...

Quality & Compliance

cGMP for Phase 1 Investigational Drugs: Sterile Parenteral Drug Product Manufacturing

As Phase I clinical trials mark the first time that an investigational new drug is administered to humans, these studies are subject to appropriate current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) in...

Regulatory Sciences

FDA Addresses Extrapolating Adult Data for Pediatric Use

In 2004, the FDA issued a guidance document, entitled “Premarket Assessment of Pediatric Medical Devices.” The guidance stated that, when consistent with scientific principles, data can be...

Quality & Compliance

CPV versus APR, What’s the Difference?

As an outcome of the 2011 Food and Drug Administration Process Validation Guidance, there has been ever increasing interest in the pharmaceutical industry to establish formal Continued Process...

Quality & Compliance

Understanding Analytical Method Validation

The core of my background was built upon analytical development science for biotechnology companies including Celera and Genentech. It became routine to develop analytical assays to test products...

Problem Solving: What’s the Best Approach?

Those of you in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries who encounter process and product problems on a regular basis, you likely grimace when one lands in your lap. There is a...

Quality & Compliance

Quick Guide: cGMP for Phase 1 Investigational Drugs

As Phase I clinical trials mark the first time that an investigational new drug is administered to humans, these studies are subject to appropriate current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) in...

What to Expect During the NDA Review Process

Compiling and submitting a New Drug Application (NDA) submission is a complicated and intensive activity. Once you have submitted your application to FDA, you may be curious about what can you expect...

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Safety Data Exchange Agreements (SDEAs) and Pharmacovigilance Agreements (PVAs) – An Overview

A Safety Data Exchange Agreement (SDEA) or Pharmacovigilance Agreement (PVA) is a legal written contract which ensures that all safety data, PV tasks and responsibilities are detailed between two or...

FDA Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP)

The FDA’s homepage contains an item in the Public Health Focus section from the Office of Communications entitled “Don’t Use Expired Medicine.” Given this mandate, I recall from many years ago the...

An Overview of the PSMF: Pharmacovigilance System Master File

What is a PSMF? The EU Pharmacovigilance System Master File (PSMF) is a legally required document created and maintained by a Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH). Essentially, the document is a...

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The Importance of the eCTD Structure for FDA Approval

The Importance of the eCTD To harmonize the process of regulatory reviews for global drug development, a unified structure was developed and implemented for electronic Common Technical Document...

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What is the FSP Model in Clinical Research?

The term Functional Service Provider (FSP) concept is highly regarded in the field of clinical research. With drug discovery and clinical trials becoming more complex, pharmaceutical firms and...