Guidelines

FDA Findings and Remedies on cGMP Violations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently inspected a US drug manufacturing facility and identified several significant cGMP violations, resulting in a Warning Letter (#649198). The violations include: Here are five remediation actions that the company should take: Cleaning and Maintenance Procedures: Investigations and Deviations: Production and Process Control ... Read More

Subpart of 21 CFR Part 211
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is a codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government. FDA 21 CFR Part 211 covers the areas for finished drug products, such as labeling, production processes, equipment management and ... Read More

ICH Quality (Q) Guidelines and Their Relevance to Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
In this article we discuss on ICH Quality (Q) Guidelines and their relevance to different phases of drug development and manufacturing. ICH Q1A(R2) – Stability Testing of New Drug Substances and Products This guideline provides recommendations on the stability testing of new drug substances and products, including the design of ... Read More

Inadequate Investigations: A Common Observation by the FDA
During cGMP inspections, one of the most commonly cited observations by the FDA is the inadequate investigation into deviations. Pharmaceutical companies must address this issue to maintain compliance and ensure patient safety. Here are some key points to keep in mind regarding deviation investigations in the pharmaceutical industry: Observation Highlight ... Read More

Walking Through the 21 CFR Part 11
If you are connected to the life sciences industry in one way or another, you have undoubtedly heard of the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 21 Part 11 Regulation. We begin by decoding 21 CFR Part 11 itself: The CFR is organized like this: Title > Chapter > ... Read More

APIC Guidance on the Risk Assessment for Presence of N-Nitrosamines in APIs
The EMA and other Health authorities have published requirements (EMA/189634/2019) and Health Canada Letter for the API industry and the MAH for drug products to expand the scope of potential sources of nitrosamines beyond that of ICH M7. This requirement is based on the fact that, as the Industry and ... Read More

APIC Guidance on Aspects of Cleaning Validation in API Plant
This guidance document was published by the APIC Cleaning Validation Task Force on behalf of the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Committee (APIC) of CEFIC for cleaning validation in active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing plants. Six specific areas are addressed in this Guidance document: Acceptance Criteria Companies must demonstrate during cleaning validation that ... Read More

Vendor Qualification Under FDA and ICH Regulations
FDA, Guidelines, ICH
All contract service organizations and vendors who supply the cGMP facility with critical supplies, reagents, and equipment must be qualified. This helps to ensure all products have been manufactured in a way that prevents the introduction of adventitious agents or toxic impurities and ensures final product safety, effectiveness, and consistency. ... Read More

Quality Agreement Guidelines and Template
One of the biggest issues facing the pharmaceutical industry and patients today is quality, integrity and security of the pharmaceutical supply chain, preventing contamination (adulteration) and eliminating counterfeits. A suitable Supplier Qualification Program has hence to be implemented by each user of purchased APIs (or intermediates). A major element of ... Read More

Frequently Asked Questions on Data Integrity
This article contains a collection of frequently asked questions that have been submitted by the industry to the APIC DI taskforce. Which is divided into following sections: Q1. What is the difference between a digital and an e-signature? A digital signature is attached to an electronic file and not maintained ... Read More