As the pharma industry moves to an ambitious Validation 4.0 paradigm, computerized systems play a pivotal role in enabling the rapid transition. Innovation and agility in computerized system validation (CSV) received a strong push in the second half of 2022 with the publication of the FDA draft guidance on “Computer Software Assurance for Production and Quality System Software”
The validation of media and buffer mixing is a continuing area of resource constraint in the pharmaceutical industry. These validations require materials, validation associates’ time, and the use of equipment and processing areas. This article proposes a risk-based life cycle for minimizing mixing validation resource inputs, with the objective of optimizing validation efforts through the use...
In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued their draft guidance “Computer Software Assurance for Production and Quality System Software”
Pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities produce a variety of products, including highly potent products that require safety measures to prevent adverse health effects on patients and operators. To ensure safety, these facilities use containment equipment to minimize the risk of contamination. This article presents criteria for selecting containment equipment, considering both...
Pharmaceutical critical utilities are typically built of 316L stainless steel; nevertheless, surface degradation has been reported due to the occurrence of different phenomena. This article aims to explain how field electrochemical techniques using a portable tool can be an effective method for surface inspection, qualification, and monitoring. The surface finish assessment considered...
The world is beginning to grasp the huge challenge of achieving net-zero carbon emissions, or carbon neutrality, by 2050. Many countries have committed to achieving this ambitious goal. As a major global industry, the pharmaceutical sector has a significant role to play. For thermal energy–intensive industries, such as pharmaceutical manufacturing, the long-term future options to maintain...
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as the climate concerns of consumers, investors, and regulators continue to grow. In seeking to benefit from this demand for sustainability and the potential for cost-saving opportunities, life science product manufacturers have started to evaluate the climate impact of their own labs and...
Calibration plays a critical role in ensuring a measurement instrument’s accuracy—especially if the instrument has a direct impact on product quality and patient safety. However, the calibration process is a complex system, and the traditional analytical approach for planning this process is often not sufficient to improve service performance. Using a digital simulation model as a...
Cell therapies have been used to treat thousands of patients worldwide ever since the CAR T cell medication Kymriah was the first cell therapy approved by the FDA in 2017. Yet significant manufacturing challenges continue to hamper patient access to life-saving cell therapies, particularly the high cost of these treatments. Kymriah can cost as much as $475,000 per dose and an allogeneic...
Process capability is a fundamental concept for manufacturers. Pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device manufacturers leverage capability analysis along with other statistical quality control (SQC) techniques to enable timely supply of quality medicine to patients.
To improve the energy efficiency of cleanrooms, the Roche Global Engineering and Oceanside facilities and Engineering team collaborated to implement a risk-based approach to achieve lower air changes during operation without adversely impacting the facility, equipment, or reliability, while meeting environmental requirements.
ChatGPT and other large language models are positioned to change the world. They can also shift acceptance and prevalence of machine learning solutions in regulated industries in general. However, their arrival requires reconsiderations on risks, quality assurance, and validation from a GxP perspective.
In the context of data integrity, data flows are essential. The FDA, PIC/S, and WHO have all emphasized the importance and benefits of data flows in their guidance on data integrity. The key to data integrity compliance is a well-functioning data governance system1
We will show how continuous, real-time capturing of data with immediate data analysis by an ML algorithm can improve control over a critical quality attribute. The ML-analyzed data provides the evidence for validation of the change by demonstrating more control over the process along with a decrease in process risks.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can reduce or eliminate the uncertainty associated with a cleanroom facility as the planned design can be simulated to predict performance to a high degree of accuracy. This article discusses the use of CFD for the purpose of predicting and optimizing the performance of a cleanroom facility in terms of steady-state airborne particulate levels and for...
Pandemic-related supply chain shortages have placed constraints on the supply of essential filters and chromatography resins. An agile regulatory pathway to implement alternative filters and resins into manufacturing is necessary to ensure the continued supply of approved biologics. To allow this in the US and potentially globally, the regulatory strategy proposed in this article is to provide...
Topical drug products and cosmetics are often manufactured in the same facility under a unified quality standard that supports the topical drug products’ performance and label claims. Cleaning is an important component of a manufacturing process, and the process life-cycle approach should be followed for cleaning validation.1
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unthinkable for a system integrator to suggest remotely conducting an acceptance test for an automation project. This article shows how automation engineers and client validation personnel were successful in navigating COVID-19 restrictions and overcoming previously held preconceptions about remote testing to meet end-user and regulatory requirements....
This artificial intelligence (AI) retrofit project was a unique approach to implementing AI technology in a pharmaceutical environment within three months. This project tackles a commonly known industry challenge by integrating AI into an existing automatic visual inspection (AVI) machine. The proof of value allowed us to benchmark added value through AI compared with state-of-the-art...
Three case studies on Validation 4.0 demonstrate how quality by design (QbD) principles, when applied with digitization, can verify processes in scale-up and technology transfer, and why blend and content uniformity matter for tablet integrity.
Chlorine dioxide has been shown effective in decontaminating various types of chambers and volumes such as rooms, isolators, processing tanks, and entire facilities, but its use to decontaminate compressed gas piping systems has not been documented. This article discusses using dry gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) to decontaminate an oxygen (O2) feed piping system in a...
Steam is the most powerful and effective thermal energy transfer fluid, and its use continues to grow in process industries around the world. However, there is very little written about the commissioning and qualification of pharmaceutical pure steam systems in GMP regulations or regulatory guidance. This article provides the background and science behind the steam quality tests and proposes a...
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to benefit the pharmaceutical industry and its GxP-regulated areas. Several pharmaceutical companies are currently running digital pilots; 90% of large pharmaceutical companies have initiated AI projects.1
Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) pose specific manufacturing challenges beyond those typically addressed by pharmaceutical chemistry. Often in current ATMP applications, a change in approach is introduced at some point in the development process out of convenience or necessity, which then results in a change in technology. This article analyzes the possibility of transferring a cell...
The implementation of a mammalian cell-based biopharmaceutical manufacturing process demands robust methods for knowledge handling, from early-stage development and technology transfer to production scale. Mathematical process modeling can summarize this knowledge as the relationships of critical quality attributes to critical process parameters using mathematical equations and sound...
Heightened awareness, due to the pandemic, of the need for domestic manufacturing capacity has rejuvenated the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry and resulted in new commissioning projects. However, cross-country/continental travel restrictions and social distancing–based work protocols during the first two years of the pandemic necessitated adopting unique commissioning approaches....
Global commissioning, qualification, and validation (CQV) project delivery has in recent years been required to push the boundaries on delivery methodologies and techniques to ensure sufficient production capacity is available to meet ever-expanding patient needs. This article focuses on lessons captured in the execution and resource management of large-scale global CQV projects in an...
Aseptic process simulation (APS) is essential for validation of an aseptic manufacturing process and is required by regulators to demonstrate the aseptic capability of such processes. A successful program of APS and aseptic manufacturing requires significant operator training, skills, and supervision; thorough maintenance; effective cleaning and disinfection; significant oversight of every...
Good data are a characteristic of good science. Quality data are arguably more important today than ever before and are considered by many to be a corporate asset because they are used to develop products and processes, control our manufacturing processes, and improve products and processes when needed.1
This article presents the results of applying artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning algorithms, to identifying and predicting anomalies for corrective maintenance in a water for injection (WFI) processing plant. The aim is to avoid the yearly stoppage of the water for injection plant for preventive maintenance activities, common in the industry, and use a more scientific...
Use of software as a service (SaaS) applications within the life sciences industry is growing. This article reviews the issues and challenges faced by SaaS providers and identifies the qualities of successful providers for this highly regulated industry.
Viral inactivation (VI) is a critical step in ensuring the safety of monoclonal antibody (mAb), Fc fusion, and recombinant protein therapeutics and it is typically an important component of an overall virus control strategy for downstream biotherapeutic production processes. Considerations for successful implementation of an inline VI process are discussed in this article.
Any systematic pharmaceutical engineering approach for ensuring vial container closure system (CCS) performance must include choosing qualified container closure system components, the proper pharmaceutical process setup, and applicable testing methods. Container closure integrity (CCI) is an essential part of container closure system performance. A holistic strategy is needed to qualify...
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Defining room temperature and humidity limits is a frequent topic of debate when designing and operating pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities. What are appropriate alarm limits and acceptable durations for an alarm condition? Understanding the source of temperature and humidity requirements, and strategies for setting limits, can ensure both compliance and optimum use of energy. This...
Cleanrooms and controlled contamination environments are increasingly being used across many industrial sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry. An important issue is the operating cost associated with cleanroom energy consumption and, consequently, the identification of applicable energy containment measures. This article reviews pharmaceutical cleanroom calculations for...
Powder for oral suspension (PfOS) bioavailability is mostly on the basis of drug absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. PfOS formulation pH, viscosity, vehicle buffer capacity, drug particle size distribution, density, and viscosity are often critical for absorption. Therefore, careful design and selection of excipients—including suspending agents—are necessary during PfOS formulation...
Since 2019, the ISPE France Affiliate’s Unique Device Identification (UDI) Medical Device Work Group has been producing tools to help project stakeholders within the EU or overseas understand and comply with EU regulations of UDIs in medical devices. Some of those tools are highlighted in the article.
One of the goals of the cleaning validation design phase is to define critical process parameters (inputs) and acceptance criteria (outputs) of the cleaning process. This article explores the selection of a master soil as part of the cleaning validation design phase for automated parts washers. The selection and qualification of a master soil through laboratory testing and during factory...
What if the reliability of a system could be improved by accessing the standard data provided with modern process instrumentation? These data, accessed from existing instrumentation, can be used to analyze the fitness of processes, equipment, and instruments; better understand processes; support discrepancy investigations; and provide a data-driven basis for the timing of maintenance and...
For a multiproduct facility where equipment is shared, there is always a risk from cross-contamination. The correct calculation of the cleaning validation limits from maximum allowable carryover (MACO) of a marker compound to the next product is vital for the integrity and success of the cleaning validation program. However, the process yielding those limits often involves cumbersome,...
Pharmaceutical manufacturers rely heavily on powder processes, the majority of which are designed and operated on the basis of empirical correlations between material properties and performance. The development of material properties databases for pharmaceutical excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has the potential to enhance such correlations and, more generally, to...
Recently, recalls of angiotensin receptor antagonists, particularly valsartan, and warning alerts about N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurities in drug substances such as ranitidine and metformin have demonstrated the urgent need for manufacturers and regulators to control impurities throughout the product life cycle to ensure patient safety.1
Online water bioburden analyzers (OWBAs) are analytical instruments providing real-time or near real-time measurement of bioburden in purified water systems.1
When fluid-filled containers are stored for long periods of time with negligible motion, sedimentation and gravitational settling of particles can occur. This article discusses a passive sedimentation control mechanism that is driven by Marangoni stress, which is induced in enclosed geometries when their walls are lined with gas-filled hydrophobic microcavities.
Executives at manufacturing companies of all sizes need to make decisions about where to invest to maintain and grow their businesses. Investments in manufacturing execution system (MES) applications may reduce costs and increase revenues, but they also might compete with other investment priorities, such as marketing campaigns and capital equipment upgrades. This article offers guidance for...
A temperature sensor in a medical autoclave is typically calibrated once a year. If the sensor proves to be inaccurate, all batches produced since the last calibration must be evaluated. Endress+Hauser has developed a self-calibrating sensor that automatically verifies its accuracy during each sterilization batch. This article describes a case study at the Merck Healthcare KGaA sterile...
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can reduce or eliminate the need to perform bioreactor scale-up studies because full-scale manufacturing bioreactors can be simulated to predict performance. This article discusses the use of computational fluid dynamics for that purpose, to predict the performance of a manufacturing-scale bioreactor under various operating conditions.
Process analytical technology (PAT) is perceived as the main enabler for a robust control strategy with continuous manufacturing (CM) because process analytical technology can aid in implementing continuous manufacturing throughout the entire life cycle. This article discusses quality and regulatory hurdles in the life cycle of a process analytical technology application—including model...
Historically, the pharmaceutical industry’s focus has been on the lyophilization process and equipment, but discussion about calibration of process monitoring and control instrumentation has been quite limited. Recently, focused attention has been given to control and monitoring instrumentation for lyophilization.
Continued process verification (CPV) as defined in the US FDA process validation guideline1 helps bring quality management and compliance in the pharmaceutical industry to the next level, but it has been challenging to...
The solubility behavior of drugs remains one of the most challenging aspects of formulation development and is a key determinant of a drug’s bioavailability. This article describes research aimed to improve solubility of a poorly water-soluble drug (ibuprofen) by preparing a porous solid dispersion using a flash evaporation technique.
Over the years, the roles and responsibilities of engineering and quality/validation personnel for commissioning and qualification (C&Q) activities have evolved. Now more than ever, commissioning and qualification approaches based on quality risk management (QRM) principles rely heavily on engineering and the application of Good Engineering Practice (GEP) to provide documentation for the...
Regulatory authorities have approved the use of recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat infectious diseases1
and chronic conditions such as cancer
Manual decontamination procedures are laborious processes and can be costly, requiring significant time and resources to complete. Manual procedures also may need to be repeated if initial efforts do not fully kill pathogens. To reduce failures and potentially reduce cost, chlorine dioxide gas decontamination was investigated as an alternative solution.
The Advanced Digital Design of Pharmaceutical Therapeutics (ADDoPT) project1 is a recently completed UK-based design manufacture and supply chain research collaboration. This collaboration catalyzed work to define a system for top-down,...
According to US Pharmacopeia (USP) Chapter <790>, “all parenteral products should be essentially free from any visible particles.”1 This is the first and foremost requirement stated in all pharmacopeia for any injectable product. However, yielding absolutely particle-free...
The internet has led to an increase in e-commerce of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal products; one in four adults has purchased medicines online.1
Cleanrooms and laboratories can save a significant amount of energy by reducing airflow of air handling units (AHUs) after closing hours. Although challenging, airflow reduction is a successful energy reduction measure and has been implemented within the energy reduction program of Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V. in Leiden, the Netherlands.
Newer container closure integrity (CCI) test methods are more accurate and reliable than longtime industry standards. Transitioning to include deterministic testing alongside probabilistic methods may seem daunting at first, but it is in the industry’s best interest.
Despite introducing modern analytical technology to assess blend uniformity, many companies are still using traditional blend sampling thieves and wet chemistry to assess blend homogeneity. The use of statistically based sampling plans allows variance component analysis to be conducted on both blend and dosage unit data. This article shows how various combinations of blend and dosage unit...
The unavailability of a backup pharmaceutical water system has been a severe limitation for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Until recently, qualification concepts that adhered to current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines hindered the rapid setup of a water system. A new, tailor-made qualification concept for mobile water treatment has been developed to align with guidance from various...
As the global population demands faster and more affordable drugs, biopharmaceutical companies are continually trying to find ways to produce their drug products more economically and efficiently. Today, the competition and need for drugs are greater than ever before. Companies have been considering operational alternatives to reduce production costs and increase manufacturing rates.
Sampling is the selection of a representative portion of the population to make inferences about the entire population. In pharmaceutical manufacturing, samples are drawn from different stages of the process for both controlling process parameters and assessing drug product quality. In the case of a traditional batch process, a fixed amount of material is processed and the batch quality is...
High-pressure liquid chromatography employing the multicolumn countercurrent solvent gradient purification (MCSGP) process principle has been developed as a novel purification technology for peptides produced by chemical synthesis. MCSGP offers a step change in efficiency compared to batch high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) processing. With MCSGP, two identical reverse-phase (RP)...
It is a common practice in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries to execute a factory acceptance test (FAT) for equipment involved with various drug manufacturing processes. The FAT is a project milestone in purchasing good manufacturing practice–compliant equipment.
In recent years, the concept of quality in the pharmaceutical industry has evolved from the idea of testing the quality to designing the quality. The fundamental idea is very simple; it is necessary to understand the material and process variables that determine the final product’s quality from the beginning of product development. Such an approach permits an in-depth understanding of the...
This article presents an adaptation of clinical trial management to ICH E6 (R2). A case study assesses quality risks in a clinical data management system.
This article discusses how blockchain technology may disrupt the way we collect and manage data within regulated processes. The first section is a nontechnical summary of blockchain’s features, including a description of what it is (and what it is not). This sets the context for the next section, in which we discuss several blockchain use cases currently being piloted by life sciences...
Although other industry publications have explored the effect of surface finish on biofilm formation, background data indicating that imperfections exceeding the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) standard are detrimental to chemical cleaning performance are lacking.1
Although it includes some background material, this article is based predominantly on a series of interviews with SMEs at Eli Lilly, Janssen, Hovione, C-SOPS, and Patheon from October to December 2017. The comments and observations that follow are theirs.
Continuous biotech manufacturing has the potential to achieve greater product quality at lower cost and shorter time to market. Recent advances in fully integrated control systems and a dynamic market make it more relevant than ever.
The amount of data collected in a typical pharmaceutical manufacturing operation is staggering, yet research shows that much of this information is rarely used for anything more than compliance. New technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning permit unprecedented analysis of realtime data and can even predict trends in processes and operations....
This article illustrates the importance of experimental conditions to evaluate analytical methods. Italicized text is used throughout the article to emphasize key points and illustrate formula variables.
An overview of pass-through boxes as they relate to the life sciences industry, defining their purpose, applications, and available options.
Recent cyberattacks like WannaCry and Petya have affected GxP computerized systems, prompting questions on how to address risk from cyberspace using traditional computerized systems validation according to GAMP® 5. This article explores life cycle management of GxP computerized systems and associated cybersecurity risks that can affect patient safety.
Double-wall containment: an answer to unsafe piping systems
While most in the pharmaceutical industry understand the need for double-wall containment piping systems, our field observations indicate that many companies do not. We frequently see pipes that should be (but are not) double-wall containment systems. This article presents an overview of the topic, so that readers who...
Change often takes years longer in the pharmaceutical industry than in others. Why can we not challenge that paradigm? The auto industry, for example, successfully forced changes to its supplier base within a couple of years. By benchmarking other industries that have dealt with similar problems, we can learn from their experiences.
In-line concentration solves problems found in mAb production, including insufficient storage capacity and process tank volumes, extended processing times, and large hold-up loop volumes for ultrafiltration concentration. It optimizes the ion-exchange step following capture, reduces costs and processing times for virus filtration and polishing, and significantly improves the...
This article presents the work of the newly formed ISPE Holistic Production Control Strategy Working Group, which has identified and summarized the need for a redefined control strategy implementation methodology.
This article shares a process used to evaluate terminal HEPA filter maintenance programs serving a parenteral manufacturing plant. The evaluation determines whether maintenance history data supports extending preventive maintenance frequency.
Analytical target profile criteria for judging the quality of results generated by analytical methods are framed in an optimization paradigm by illustrating the ATP criteria as a loss function. In the case where specifications are based on quality arguments and process capability, a probability-defined loss function is useful for providing a direct measurement of risk for making incorrect...
Biopharmaceutical products manufactured from mammalian or microbial cells are inherently at risk of contamination from two major types of entities.
India is a worldwide leader in drug manufacturing, producing 10% of global pharmaceuticals, with 2016–2017 exports valued at $16.4 billion.1
ISPE's Process Capability team has developed an industry-specific maturity model that can help companies design a robust process-capability program and compare it to those of their peers. The model has been substantiated by surveying 15 companies.
Every business has legal, economical, and ethical objectives that range from mandatory safety to commercial goals to corporate citizenship. Businesses undertake a certain amount of risk to achieve these objectives. The balance between risk and reward is an ongoing challenge regardless of the activities involved. The bowtie technique can be used to visualize, assess, and manage...
Does electron-beam surface decontamination radiation damage COC syringes? Experimental investigations confirm that no measurable dose is delivered if irradiation parameters are selected correctly. Even a dose of a few kGy (equivalent to a few 0.1 Mrad) would not cause significant change.
Workflow-based technology in the clinical trial continuum encourages process optimization, helps break down silos, enhances performance quality, and has a measurable effect on the electronic trial master file.
Integrated VPHP systems offer a versatile, automated, sporicidal process for cleanroom suites, isolators, RABS, chambers, and pass-throughs.
Free-surface electrospinning of microemulsions increases API solubility and may offer an alternative to batch powder processes.
The USP <905> UDU test, widely used for batch release since 2007, is no longer supported by FDA. We propose a two-sided tolerance interval method to alleviate this deficiency. The approach provides 50% confidence and 95% probability that future samples from the batch will conform to USP <905> criteria. In addition, this new statistical assessment provides the same practical...
As economic pressures and legislated environmental protection measures continue to increase, the pharmaceutical industry is moving to control cost, reduce energy use, and become a better steward of the environment.
We propose a method for demonstrating content uniformity in the context of variables sampling and relate this to the acceptance criteria and probability of passing the USP CU test. We demonstrate that a variable sampling plan with 99.4% coverage between 83.5% and 116.5% of label content is approximatively equivalent to (and even stricter than) the 95% probability of passing the USP...
Despite the advantages of ozone technology as a powerful commercially available oxidant and disinfectant, this technology has not been adopted broadly by the pharmaceutical industry. This article contains the rationale for applying ozone technology in a packaged system, which offers greater reliability and efficacy, using best practices that eliminate variables common in on-site integrated...
The following is an example of an evaluation of room air change rates for potential reduction using QRM, providing more detail on engineering considerations.
Understanding the fundamental assumption of independence (and the violation thereof) enables an appropriate response to control chart trend rule violations and challenges us to think differently about special cause variation in control charts.
Much has been published on advantages of predictive maintenance, yet many do not realize that it is a tool to help achieve their facility's goals and objectives. If you need to convince management of the need for PredM, this article contains information that you can use as an "elevator speech."
This article presents current research on the problem of rouge in clean steam generators and their distribution systems, as well as possible deleterious effects on capital equipment and final drug products.
Guidance from ISPE's Investigational Medicinal Products Community of Practice
What is cleaning validation and where does it fall in the life cycle validation scheme? How can an automated washing system be validated? This article provides insights that may help answer these questions.
This paper was written by members of the BioPhorum Operations Group CPV and Informatics team and widely reviewed across the BPOG collaboration. As such, it represents the current consensus view of process verification subject matter experts in the biopharmaceutical industry, but does not represent the procedural details of any individual company. It is designed to be informative for industry...
