Paper records to electronic for pharmaceutical companies

Following the rapid advances being made in the field of information management in the past quarter of a century or so, computers have increasingly come to replace paper as the source in which important documents are created and stored. Till the last decade of the previous century, organizations used paper to record and document information relating to their research, development and business. From around the start of the 1990’s; the shift towards computerization of paper records has been noticeable.

Many differences between paper and electronic records

One of the defining differences between this electronic standard and traditional paper records is that while the latter used to be stored in a central, protected environment and managed by a designated managers; electronic records are spread over many locations.

Although some are managed by a central authority; most are under the control of individuals. Individuals in charge of this work have a wide range of computer based devices such as phones, laptops, tablets and USB storage devices at their disposal, which can be used for functions such as authoring, storing, and copying and transmitting relevant information.

Also, the information available on these systems can be stored and shared within several locations on the web, with the option of protecting some better than others. What has also changed substantially is the process of verifying the authenticity of a record. Earlier, the method used to authenticate paper records was via inked signatures of the author and witness. Encrypted e-signatures are replacing this practice.

Submissions to the regulatory authorities

In line with this development, the FDA and other global regulatory agencies started accepting electronic files, or at least parts of submissions, for testing and marketing drugs. This movement, which started in the early 1990’s, led to the creation of the Common Technical Document (eCTD) standard. This standard is now required in the US and most countries around the world.

If pharmaceutical and life sciences companies have to submit documents such as the NDA, ANDA, IND, BLA, DMF and the BMF to the FDA electronically, the eCTD has been the pan-industry, widely accepted standard since 2008. Submissions are, in fact, no longer done via paper records. If companies have to incorporate legacy paper records into an eCTD; they have to scan those and put them into a text readable format.

A source of important information

Despite the existence of this method; many companies continue to possess huge troves of paper based information, which are yet to enter the cyber realm. These records contain important information relating to the pre-clinical, clinical and drug safety paper records of drugs that did not make it to the marketing stage for a variety of reasons, because of which these companies have archived this information.

This archived data, if harnessed effectively, could be a rich source for offering knowledge that will go on to enhance inputs for submissions for other new or emerging indications for the drug or support efficacy or safety for related drugs. Many organizations have a large collection of paper records with retention times of 50 years or more. There is a dilemma of how to best preserve and utilize these records.

What is the way of going about for transiting?

Many companies are in a quandary about what to do in a situation in which the majority of records are electronic, but a substantial number remain as aging paper records. If the wealth of information available in paper format is to be exploited meaningfully, should they convert all the paper records to an electronic format, convert some of them, or just leave them in their current form? Given that complete conversion and subsequent integration is a very expensive and laborious exercise; a better option will be to convert on an as-needed basis.

The ways of how to do this effectively will be the topic of a highly educative webinar from Compliance4All, a provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance. At this webinar, Dr. Charlie Sodano, an experienced, globally recognized information management professional who launched eOrganizedWorld a consulting firm specializing in the planning and implementation of records and information management systems, will be the speaker.

To understand and have these issues resolved from the expert, please register for this webinar by logging on to Records policy and procedures

Dr. Sodano will take up and explain the issues relating to conversion of paper records into electronic, and the ways in which the submissions need to be made. This training is of importance to professionals in Research & Development, Regulatory, Clinical, Legal, Information Technology and Validation.

During the course of this session, Dr. Sodano will cover the following areas:

o  Records policy and procedures

o  Records data map

o  Incorporating paper records into a eCTD

o  Converting paper documents into a useful electronic format

o  Scanning costs and resources

o  Indexing and organizing scanned records and integrating them

o  Long term record storage and retrieval.

How does the FDA scrutinize Promotion?

The FDA has strict requirements on the way promotion and advertising practices are to be implemented by the industries that it regulates. Section 906 of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA), which came into effect in 2008 and amended the section that pertained to this topic previously, namely Section 502(n) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA); now requires that published Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertisements for prescription drugs should include the following statement printed conspicuously for all products including vaccines:

“You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.”

One of many requirements

This is just one of the many requirements from the FDA about promotion and advertising practices. Any individual or company holding an approved application for a drug will be panelized for making a false or misleading claim in a Direct to Consumer (DTC) advertisement about the pharmaceutical product.

Such an entity can be fined up to a quarter of a million dollars for the first such violation in any three-year period. This fine can go up to half a million dollars for each subsequent violation in any three-year period. Further, the FDAAA fixes different levels of penalties for biological products.

New requirements that reinforce existing ones

In addition, the FDA issued two Draft Guidance documents in January 2017. These concern communications made by device manufacturers about information that is contained in the labeling of these products. The nub of these Guidance Documents is that for FDA-regulated medical device companies to escape enforcement actions from the regulatory agency; labeling has to be consistent with the standards and expectations set out by the FDA. It lists out a number of factors the FDA takes into consideration to determine if the labeling meets the standards of consistency set out by it. These are some of them:

o  Indication

o  Patient Population

o  Limitations and Directions for Handling, Preparing, and/or Using the product

o  The recommended dosage or use regimen or route of administration

o  The potential for increasing harm

o  Safe and effective use.

The FDA has, in this communication also set out the factors that it does not consider as being in line with its idea of consistency in labeling and false claims:

o  Stage, severity, or manifestation of disease

o  Use alone versus in combination with other product(s)

o  Route of administration

o  Strength, dosage, or use regimen

o  Dosage form.

This makes the grasp and proper implementation of the FDAAA requirements absolutely essential if an organization in the FDA-regulated industries has to be free of enforcement actions from the FDA and subsequent penalties.

Learning session on how to get the dynamics of FDA scrutiny of promotion and advertising practices right

This is the important learning a webinar from Compliance4All, a highly acclaimed provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance, will be offering.

The speaker at this webinar is Casper Uldriks, who through his firm “Encore Insight LLC,” brings over 32 years of experience from the FDA. He brings the experience of having specialized in the FDA’s medical device program as a field investigator, a senior manager in the Office of Compliance and an Associate Center Director for the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. To gain understanding and clarity on these areas of FDA scrutiny of promotion and advertising practices, enroll for this webinar by logging on to FDA Scrutinize Promotion and Advertising Practices

Anticipate the FDA’s viewpoint of consistency

Anticipating the way the FDA will view and interpret its advertising and the way it monitors this activity is critical for any company that makes a marketing launch. If it fails to do this right, it could land itself in trouble and invite expensive and reputation-damaging enforcement actions. Companies that come under FDA regulation need to have a perfect grasp of what they are doing with DTC advertising and should not leave anything to chance.

Companies have to keep up with the defined boundaries of DTC advertising and promotion if they have to avoid FDA scrutiny. If the FDA deems a DTC marketing campaign to be misbranding the product, it will not allow it to be marketed. This calls for more sophistication and novelty on the part of firms in their advertising methods and messages. Firms need to pay attention to all the components of their advertising in mass media, such as volume, images, the prominence and conspicuousness of information, the speed of the message, subliminal messaging and the core message.

Get all the factors right to avoid FDA enforcement

This calls for a proper understanding of what each component of the advertising attempts to accomplish and then evaluate the integrated message. Ironically, this range of factors arms the FDA with sufficient ammunition to determine the advertising as misbranding and term it illegal.  The speaker will suggest the ways of tackling issues like this.

Casper will talk about these issues in depth at this webinar. He will cover the following areas:

o  FDA’s approach to DTC advertising and promotion principles

o  FDA guidance and use of cognitive psychology

o  Types of violation for illegal DTC advertising practices

o  The role of sales and marketing departments

o  Executives’ legal liability.

How to implement technology transfer in pharmaceuticals

Technology transfer is a process that has gained widespread acceptance and prominence in many areas of knowledge all over the world today. Technology transfer can be broadly defined as the way in which technology is transferred from the source of its origin of creation to sources from where it can be developed and/or distributed to a wider area.

Technology transfer is carried out in a number of areas. In universities, which are breeding grounds for new ideas, technology transfer is carried out to help the product reach out to the market. In the field of intellectual property (IP), technology transfer is the means by which a patent or a copyright or a trade secret is licensed to be exploited for commercialization.

In pharmaceuticals

Technology transfer is a major component in the field of pharmaceuticals, as well. In the field of pharmaceuticals, the method by which technology transfer is done is important. Correctly describing the methods and processes of technology transfer is extremely important to prevent any major deviations or misunderstandings between the parties at a later date. The aim of exploitation of technology, patent-protected or otherwise, in this field is to help the product reach out to the larger market, so that the general public benefits from the invention or innovation. Defining the terms by which the commercial gains of the technology transfer will be shared is also important.

If a pharma product is to become successful; its transfer and that of its processes has to be handled extremely well for the product to enjoy a successful launch. Only this ensures that pharmaceutical products of the highest quality are delivered to the patients, and also that they meet the expected business goals.

Yet, executing the technology transfer is complex even in these days of legal protection for IP. Technological transfer of pharma products involves the interactions of many disciplines across an organization. While carefully developing, managing, and transferring of technical and business knowledge is one aspect; the development of processes and steps for defining the formal transfer of that knowledge from R&D documents and systems to commercial manufacturing documents and systems is another.

A learning session on pharmaceutical technology transfer

The ways of handling this whole process of technology transfer in the field of pharmaceuticals will be the teaching a webinar from Compliance4All, a leading provider of professional trainings in all the areas of regulatory compliance will be organizing.

The speaker at this webinar is Steven Laurenz, a senior pharma professional who brings over 25 years of technical leadership experience in product development, process development, technology transfer, and process optimization.

To enroll for this webinar and gain the benefit of hearing from this seasoned professional, please register for this webinar by logging on to http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501257LIVE?Wordpress-SEO

The technology transfer process

The aim of this session is to introduce the concepts associated with implementing a carefully defined technical and business governance program. Along with this, Steven will also suggest a clearly defined R&D process to chart technology transfer steps for successful implementation. The concepts associated with transferring the scientific technology needed to manufacture the product, processes to ensure the receiving manufacturing facility is ready for the product and tools and templates to help capture the knowledge, will all be covered at this webinar.

These are the objectives that this webinar will help the participants achieve:

o  Define technology transfer

o  Identify elements of the business process framework for managing technology transfers

o  Identify New Product transfer process

o  Explain benefits of technology transfer

o  Determine elements of a successful technology transfer

Steven will cover the following areas at this webinar:

o  The importance of technology transfer

o  The use of a technical review system to update and review technology knowledge obtained during drug product development

o  The use of a Product Strategy Review system to review important business aspects in preparation for transfer

o  Tools and Templates used for technology transfer.

All about human error and ways of reducing it

There is the saying that after all is said and done, to err is human. In a philosophical sense, it can have numerous interpretations, but in the field of Good Manufacturing Practice, it cannot be taken with a pinch of fatalism. GMP requires everything to be precise and scientific to a T. GMP is not an area that leaves anything to human error. Being an area of science, GMP has no place for imagination and chance.

This is why human errors should be taken note of very seriously when it comes to GMP. Human error is seen as a major cause of most losses caused to many organizations. Whether these human errors are intended or not is a matter worth debating on another occasion. But for the purpose of this discussion, quality is something that can severely get dented with human error.

Human error is known to be the culprit and the cause of many losses relating to quality and production. It is at the root of many performance issues. It is highly unlikely that even with our use of many precise scientific tools and devices, human error will totally be eliminated. It is accepted that human error can only be mitigated and minimized.

Understand the source first

So, if human error is something that is known to be part of our lives, it is worth exploring what needs to be done to contain it. The first step is to identify the source of human error. Human error starts right at the design stage. The prudent approach is to thoroughly understand the root cause and reduce the likelihood of human error by going deep into the variables and causes that bring about human error.

This involves having to manipulate the procedures, training, and workplace environment where many variables that affect human behavior intersect. In order to understand the cause and nature of human error, one needs to directly address the systemic weaknesses in order to improve or fix them. To do this, it is necessary to get an understanding of human behavior and the psychology of error.

Get professional trainings to explore human error in depth

Want to understand how to reduce and keep down human error in quality and production? Then, a webinar from Compliance4All, a highly acclaimed provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance is what you need. This webinar is being organized to help regulatory and quality professionals get a thorough feel of the factors that cause human error.

Ginette Collazo, a human error and human behavior expert who has spent more than 15 years in technical training, organizational development and human reliability areas, will be the speaker at this webinar.

 

 

 

Just visit http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501286LIVE?Linkedin-SEO to register for this highly interesting and valuable webinar.

Practical approaches to all areas of human error

Ginette will offer practical approaches and tools to address human performance issues in GMP related environments by using a specific methodology for the correction and prevention of these issues and to help avoid their recurrence.

This webinar will cover all the important areas of human error. The speaker will help the participants understand the factors and causes of human error. She will help them explore the importance of human error from the regulatory and business perspectives. She will define the process of managing human error deviations.

Another important learning objective of this webinar is human error measurement and the tools for measurement. Ginette will also help the participants to establish Key Performance Indicators and help them understand how to define and measure human error rate, cognitive load, and CAPA effectiveness. She will also help them identify what they can do in their personal capacities to support human reliability.

FDA’s thinking behind 21 CFR Part 11 inspections

21 CFR Part 11 is an FDA regulation that deals with electronic records and electronic signatures. 21 CFR Part 11 has a set of FDA regulations that define the various parameters that need to go into electronic records and electronic signatures for them to be considered genuine, that is, for these records to have the same trustworthiness, reliability and equivalency as those of paper records.

Any organization has to comply with the requirements set out in 21 CFR Part 11 to ensure that they can be considered as being equivalent to paper records and handwritten signatures.

The following come under the purview of Part 11:

o  Biologics developers

o  Biotech companies

o  CROs

o  Drug makers

o  Medical device manufacturers

o  Other FDA-regulated industries, with some specific exceptions

In other words, the provisions of 21 CFR Part 11 apply to organizations the life sciences industry. The provisions of 21 CFR Part 11 apply to areas that come under FDA regulated areas of research, such as researching, carrying out clinical studies, manufacturing, distributing and maintaining products.

The FDA has spelt out its best practices guidelines with regards to 21 CFR Part 11. These cover the following areas:

–       The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and controls that go into supporting electronic records and signatures, which include measures such as, but are not limited to security, Computer System Validation and data backup

–       The steps taken for ensuring the security of the computer system have audit trails for creating and tracking data values, which make electronic signatures reliable and trustworthy

–       Steps to show proof that the system works according to what it is intended to, for which validation and documentation should be offered. Into this, the feature of helping users determine when a system is not working as it is intended to is also built in.

Punitive actions from the FDA on the rise

Experience has shown that 21 CFR Part 11 is an area in which the FDA has seen a high number of citations and other punitive actions. In only the last three years, the FDA issued no fewer than 30 Warning Letters that saw Part 11 violations. These actions have concerned not only the core areas of 21 CFR Part 11, namely integrity, availability and security of data; but also to validation of software and computer systems.

These findings are the result of the FDA’s renewed efforts at inspection and enforcement of Part 11 requirements. What makes these facts about the FDA actions intriguing is that for most part, these citations are against the Predicate Rules, rather than against Part 11 per se. All this lends credibility to the belief that there is widespread confusion about what the FDA is actually looking for in its inspections.

A useful learning session on Part 11 compliance

If companies in the life sciences industry, who are subject to Part 11 inspections, have to avoid these citations from the FDA; they need to first of all get a clear idea of what 21 CFR means and the reason and the manner in which it is being implemented. They next need to understand the enforcement part of Part 11 inspections from the FDA’s perspective. A grasp of these matters will help them prepare their company for Part 11 inspections.

The ways of getting these aspects right constitute the core of learning session from Compliance4All, a highly popular and renowned provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance. At this webinar, Angela Bazigos, a highly experienced regulatory compliance professional who brings over four decades in the industry, will be the speaker.

To steer clear of the entire muddle behind the Part 11 compliance, just enroll for this webinar by visiting      http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501346?Wordpress-SEO

In the process of giving a clear understanding of how to implement the provisions of 21 CFR Part 11 in a way that avoids actions from the FDA; Angela will be covering the following areas at this webinar:

• 21 CFR 11 then and now: a brief history of 21 CFR 11 and what it looks like today
• Part 11 Basics
• FDA’s view of 21 CFR 11 Compliance
• FDA Acceptance of Data: Electronic & Paper
• Computerized systems and eData
• Basis for Part 11 Compliance and purpose of protection and validation
• Diverse nature of “source” and how to protect and preserve it
• Purpose and goal of 21 CFR 11 BIMO inspection
• Inspection of electronic records – BIMO
• The 10 Deadly Sins that break compliance
• Examples of 21 CFR 11 Citations
• How to prepare your company for successful part 11 inspections.

https://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm125067.htm

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/TrustCenter/Compliance/FDA#

Proper handling of Out of Specification (OOS) result is the hallmark of a robust investigation

The whole exercise of drug making is incomplete and unthinkable without laboratory testing. There is no better indicator of success on the part of the drug manufacturer than this activity. This is absolutely essential as a means for confirming that all the ingredients that make a laboratory product, such as the raw materials used in it, the in-process materials as well as the finished materials that go into it, and containers as well, all kowtow to the set, required specifications. This is why current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) regulations are very stringent and uncompromising when it comes to laboratory testing.

Now, what does a laboratory do when its laboratory testing comes up with an Out of Specification (OOS) result? It is necessary to understand that an OOS is not something that is taken lightly. It is taken very seriously and handled very stringently by the FDA. Being the regulatory watchdog under whose watch the whole range of laboratory activity falls; the FDA is carries out laboratory operations extremely closely. It expects complete and total compliance with its requirements on the way laboratories are expected to investigate Out of Specification and Out-of-Tolerance observation investigations.

Under FDA’s Sec 211.165, cGMP regulations reject any finished Out of Specification products that do not comply with the set specifications, as well as its mandated safety and other quality standards. These cGMP regulations also mandate complete investigation of test results that demonstrate any deviation of the contents of a batch from the specifications. These cGMP rules apply irrespective of whether batches have been released into the market or not.

How do labs deal with OOS results?

The application of current Good Manufacturing Practices into the manufacture of both active pharmaceutical ingredient and finished pharmaceuticals is required under FDA’ Section 501(a) 2 (b) of cGMP guidelines on OOS. OOS testing is mandatory for any batch that is being released.

These are what cGMP regulations require laboratories to do when they observe and confirm an Out of Specification testing compulsory for the release of a test batch: Confirmation of an Out of Specification result causes the batch to get rejected. If a laboratory test result throws up an element of ambiguity, then cGMP regulations require the company’s Quality Assurance (QA) to both mention the reasons for the release and to offer justifications for it.

The FDA guidance on Out of Specification covers human drugs, biology and biotechnological products, combination products, veterinary drugs; type medicated articles, transplantation of human tissues, medicated feed, finished products & active pharmaceutical ingredients and dietary supplements.

A learning session on the vital aspects of OOS

These aspects of OOS results will be the topic of a highly interesting and valuable webinar from Compliance4All, a leading provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance. At this webinar, Danielle DeLucy MS, who is owner of ASA Training and Consulting, LLC which provides Pharmaceutical and Biologics based companies with training and quality systems assistance in order to meet Regulatory compliance, will be the speaker.

To enroll for this webinar and to gain complete understanding of how to handle OOS test results, please visit http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501333LIVE?Worpress-SEO

The aim of this webinar is to guide attendees through the entire process starting from detecting an OOS result to launch and completion of informal and formal laboratory and batch investigations. This will help companies understand where they are going wrong, as it has been consistently observed that most companies do have procedures in place, but these are either inadequate or are not followed.

At this webinar, Danielle will professionals in the area of lab testing, such as Quality Assurance/Quality Control Directors, Managers, and Specialists, Regulatory Affairs/Regulatory Compliance Directors, Managers, and Specialists, as well as Quality Control Laboratory Staff the responsibilities of analysts and supervisors. She will also enlighten them about how to listen to what the FDA looks for in terms of human errors, which will give them a good idea of what to do and what to avoid. She will also explain the situations in which a full investigation should be triggered, the frequency for re-testing and re-sampling, and the proper ways of implementing corrective and preventive action (CAPA) plans.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/drugs/guidances/ucm070287.pdf

http://sphinxsai.com/2013/JulySept13/phPDF/PT=11(943-948)JS13.pdf

Writing error-free procedures while complying with GMP regulations

In the area of GMP regulations, procedures are very vital, for both execution and audits. It is always true that the greater the clarity and comprehensiveness with which these procedures are written; the easier it becomes for users to use them without missing important information for regulators.

Despite the advent of technology into almost all the areas of GMP regulations; there is still the existence of the human factor. It is still the major culprit when it comes to losses that many industries sustain in their quality and production. Technology has pervaded most industries in ways that were not imaginable a couple of decades back; yet, it is not likely that human error will ever be totally eliminated.

Having said this, it is also true that it is possible to prevent several human performance problems. The starting point of human errors start is the design stage. Human reliability comes into play in a major way in procedures. The key to human engineering, improving and/or fixing and identifying exactly where the weaknesses in the procedures instructions lie is getting a grasp of human behavior and the psychology of error.

A learning session on all the aspects of writing for GMP regulations

An understanding of the weakness in procedures that harm productivity, quality and regulatory standing will be the major learning a webinar from Compliance4All, a leading provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance, will be offering.

The speaker at this webinar is Ginette Collazo, a human error and human behavior expert, who brings vast experience in the technical training, organizational development and human reliability areas. Interested in gaining insights into how to understand and reduce human errors in GMP procedures? Then, all that you need to do is to register for this webinar by logging on to http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501285LIVE?Linkedin-SEO

Discussion of all the areas of human error in writing for GMP regulations

At this webinar, Ginette will discuss everything from content development to formats designed for human error reduction due to procedures. She will start with an outline of SOP writing and describe the role and possibility of human error in content development. She will also discuss the universal purpose of procedures in the background of regulatory compliance.

Ginette will expound the human perspective and the rational for procedure use and describe human error as a root cause. She will also explain the thinking and reading process and touch upon some common mistakes and causes.

Human error rates and measurement, the ways of creating and maintaining a procedure, as well as the goals of a procedure, will all be taken up.

Taking a glimpse at Good Procedure Writing practices

Another of the areas Ginette will traverse during the course of this very interesting session is Good Procedure Writing practices, during which she will dwell upon all its related aspects such as Terminology, Formats, layouts, mixed cases, steps content, common words, references, branching, conditional steps, the use of “Precautions”, “Warnings” and “Cautions”.

Finally, she will also explain procedure styles and the use of electronic information networks for procedure access. All in all, this promises to be a very educative and well-rounded teaching session. All the important people involved in GMP regulation and human factors, such as QA/QC Directors and Managers, Process improvement/excellence Professionals, Training Directors and Managers, those in Plant Engineering, Compliance Officers, Regulatory Professionals, people in Executive Management, Manufacturing operations Directors and Human factors Professionals, will all derive benefits in large measure from this webinar.

Packaging and labeling are important components of commercial and clinical products

Packaging and labeling of commercial and clinical products are very important aspects to an organization involved in a business that relates to these products. While the packaging and labeling of commercial products is important, it is more so with clinical products, because these products play an important role in a clinical trial and also in the very life of a patient or subject.

Commercial products have their own value over time. The FDA has guidances for commercial pharmaceutical products. Subpart G of CFR 21, Vol 4 concerns itself with packaging and labeling control. In line with its guidances on many related topics, this section deals with requirements for how labeling and packaging have to be carried out. These are some of the FDA’s rules on this topic:

o  Written procedures that describe how the labeling and packaging materials are received, identified, stored, handled, sampled, examined and tested and followed

o  Rejection of labeling and packaging materials that do not meet specifications or fail to meet their purpose

o  Maintenance of records of packaging and labeling for each shipment

o  Putting proper labels for each pharmaceutical product that describes the ingredients, strength, dosage and expiry date clearly

o  Destruction of expired products

o  Cancellation of license for pharmaceutical commercial products that fail to meet these requirements

The role of packaging and labeling in clinical trial products

Given the importance of clinical trials, and considering another equally important factor –namely that they are conducted across the globe these days –the need for extreme stringency in the packing and labeling of clinical trials products can never be overstated. In the area of clinical trials, these are the most popular packages:

o  Blisters

o  Bottles

o  Pouches

o  Syringes

o  Tubes

Irrespective of which of these packaging forms one is dealing with; there are stringent regulations for how to handle the packaging and labeling of clinical trials products. These regulations require manufacturers to maintain patient-friendly packaging and maintain strict standards concerning the following activities:

o  Filling of the product

o  Assembling it

o  Sorting it

o  Ensuring stability and containment of the product

Learn about the topic of packaging and labeling

All the nuances of packaging and labeling in the commercial and clinical products arena will be taught at a meaningful and educative webinar that is being organized by Compliance4All, a leading provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance.

At this webinar, Peggy J. Berry, who is the President and CEO at Synergy Consulting where she provides consulting services to companies in all aspects of drug development; will be the speaker. Please register for this webinar by logging on to http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501226LIVE?Linkedin-SEO

Teaching on all the key elements of packaging and labeling for commercial and clinical trial products

Peggy will introduce all the elements of packaging and labeling for commercial and clinical trial products at this webinar. The ways of transforming a protocol into an optimal package design will be one of the main constituents of this session. She will complete a review of the compliance requirements between commercial and clinical packaging and labeling, as well as a case study of changing commercial packaging for optimization.

Key personnel in the pharmaceutical commercial and clinical trials areas, such as    manufacturing personnel, quality and compliance personnel, regulatory personnel and clinical operations, will gain immense insights into this subject at this webinar, since Peggy will discuss all the core and auxiliary topics of commercial and clinical trials packaging and labeling, such as

o  Laws and regulations related to packaging and labeling

o  Guidelines implemented during commercial and clinical packaging and labeling

o  Implementing SOPs to ensure compliance

o  Implementing appropriate change control procedures

o  Selection of materials for packaging and labeling

o  Required submission content for the IND/NDA related to packaging and labeling materials and procedures

o  Commercial packaging compliance

o  Commercial labeling compliance

o  Clinical packaging compliance

o  Clinical labeling compliance

o  Change control for materials, design and content

At this session, the speaker will cover the following areas:

o  Commercial packaging compliance

o  Commercial labeling compliance

o  Clinical packaging compliance

o  Clinical labeling compliance

o  Change control for materials, design and content)

o  Pharmaceutical (drug/biologic).

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?CFRPart=211&showFR=1&subpartNode=21:4.0.1.1.11.7

http://pharmaceuticalcommerce.com/manufacturing-and-packaging/clinical-trial-logistics-and-packaging/

Are Your Test Methods Ready for Quality Control or any laboratory ?

The FDA considers verification and transfer of Test Methods a subject worthy of 483 observations and issuance of Warning Letters. Test method verification is also required by the GMPs, and USP has a whole chapter dedicated to test method verification. This makes comprehension of the requirements for the verification and transfer of a test method into a laboratory imperative for Laboratory Managers and other personnel.

In normal circumstances, the requirement for method transfer arises with the transfer of the method from the Method Development environment to the routine Quality Control testing laboratory. Ideally, however, the existence of method transfer any time a method is transferred from one laboratory to another should be in place, as this would also address and include the transfer of the method into more environments, such as a stability testing laboratory, or a contract laboratory or the testing laboratory of a contract manufacturer.

Support for verification of test methods

The US GMPS requires the verification of test methods under actual conditions of use to verify the suitability of all testing methods. The USP seconds this, stating that “Users of compendial analytical procedures are not required to validate these procedures when first used in their laboratories, but documented evidence of suitability should be established under actual conditions of use”.

The concept of method verification is also supported by a modified version of the accepted definition of test method validation, which requires documented evidence to ensure “that the test method performs as intended in the using laboratory”.

So, what does this mean for laboratories that have not performed the test before? Such firms must demonstrate something to prove that the test method performs as intended. This has to be done irrespective of whether the transfer is from the method development laboratory to the internal Quality Control testing laboratory or a laboratory supporting a contract manufacturer. All that is needed for the firm is to demonstrate that the receiving laboratory has the capability to perform the test, and also that the test results are an accurate reflection of the attribute being tested.

A learning session on method transfer and method verification

However, many companies do not understand what should be done for a thorough, successful test method transfer. A webinar from Compliance4All, a highly respected provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance, will explain all the intricacies of method transfer and method verification.

At this webinar, Jerry Lanese, an independent consultant with a focus on Quality Systems and the components of an effective Quality System, will be the speaker. In order to understand the complete nitty-gritty of method transfer and method verification, please register for this valuable webinar by visiting http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501282LIVE?Linkedin-SEO

The term method verification acquired a new shape and meaning with the USP’s publication of its stimulus article on the test method lifecycle. This stimulus article proposes Continued Test Method Verification during stage 3 of the test method lifecycle. At this webinar, Jerry will discuss test method verification and what all need to be considered for the method verification project.

This learning, on all areas of method transfer and method verification, will be extremely useful and valuable for Laboratory Directors, Managers, Supervisors and Analysists in any laboratory performing GMP testing.

At this session, Jerry will cover the following areas:

o  The requirements for test method verification when a method is transferred from one laboratory to another

o  What might be included in the method verification that accompanies a test method transfer?

o  The regulatory and compendial expectation for test method verification as a part of the test method lifecycle

o  What might be included in continued test method verification?

How the supposed microbial control or monitoring approach SHOULD be handled.

That water systems are critical to the pharmaceutical industry is a given. This fact makes it absolutely imperative for pharmaceutical companies to get a grasp of the techniques needed for getting these systems right. Product recall, costly downtime and many other related negatives are some of the consequences of not getting these matters right.

Among the primary causes, on account of which pharmaceutical companies get their water systems wrong, is the number of water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths that dominate the industry. Pharmaceutical water systems experts are often in awe of the level to which myths have permeated the industry, to the extent that most water systems today have been designed and are operated and controlled using at least some traditional concepts and methods that are simply completely wrong. They are often bemused at how traditions that could be so totally wrong are so strongly rooted, misguiding practitioners in the industry.

Understand water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths and know how to defeat them

Busting these often dangerous water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths is the core of a webinar on pharmaceutical water systems that is being organized by Compliance4All, a highly popular provider of professional trainings for all the areas of regulatory compliance.

At this webinar, the world-renowned expert on pharmaceutical systems, Dr. Teri C. Soli, will be the speaker. Dr. Soli, who is Principal Consultant at Soli Pharma Solutions, will take participants through all the myths that have been prevalent in the water systems industry for so long.

In order to understand the nature of water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths and subsequently get your pharmaceutical water systems right, just register for this webinar by visiting

http://www.compliance4all.com/control/w_product/~product_id=501243LIVE?Wordpress-SEO

Destroying water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths one by one

As a first step to shattering water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths, Dr. Soli will zoom in on the many reasons that have resulted in the perpetuation of these myths. But whatever the cause, one needs to be aware of the myths and understand how to do away with these.

He will lay threadbare each of the common water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths that are doing the rounds in the pharmaceutical water systems industry. He will be discussing the water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths that are related to microbial control approaches as well as microbial monitoring.

He will take up each myth, trace and explain its origin, and then put how the supposed microbial control or monitoring approach should be handled into true context, rather than how it is being handled.

In this session on water system biofilm control and microbial monitoring myths, Dr. Soli will cover the following areas:

• Why water myths develop
• Impact of c-GMPs
• Well-meaning but misguided precedents
• Scientifically unchallenged traditions and benchmarking
• Rule-hungry culture
• Water System Microbial Control Myths
• WFI from RO
• Turbulent Flow and Flow Rate
• Dead Leg Rules
• Smooth Surfaces
• In-Line Sterilizing Filters
• Ozone
• Microbial Enumeration Myths
• Referee Methods
• Thermophiles in Hot Systems
• R2A, 35°C, 5 days
• Test Filter Membrane Rating
• Compendial Action Levels
• TOC and Endotoxin as Microbial Count Correlates.