GMP News

The Competent Authority of Germany (Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf) has entered a new GPD Non-Compliance Report dated into the EudraGMDP database due to serious GDP violations at a German wholesaler. The case involves trading of falsified medicinal products and storage of expired medicinal products in regular stock. Furthermore, there are doubts on the reliability of the Reponsible Person and the CEO due to an ongoing criminal procedure.

The Swiss Narcotics Act is to be amended. Among other things, the amendment provides that cannabis-based treatments can be prescribed directly by doctors without having to obtain an exceptional authorization from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. In addition, cultivation and export are to be permitted.

A general revision of Ph. Eur. Chapter 3.2.9 "Rubber Closures" has been proposed in Pharmeuropa 33.2. In particular the proposal includes changes to the sections regarding composition changes and extractable elements, functionality & fragmentation testing.

The latest versions of the two Q&A documents relating to the centralised procedure have each been supplemented by a question regarding the importation of finished medicinal products into the European Union.

In the light of the recommendations made in CHMP's final assessment report on nitrosamine impurities in sartan preparations, the European Pharmacopoeia Commission has revised 2 general chapters and 5 API monographs in a rapid procedure. Read more here about which new requirements are specified in the updated sartan monographs.

The MHRA recently published inspection findings in the conduct of post-authorization safety studies (PASS). In particular, the agency observed significant breaches of the study protocol for the MAHs non-interventional PASS during inspection at a study site.

The MHRA GCP inspectorate has continued to see non-compliance in reference safety information in clinical trials. In particular, the agency is still seeing unreported SUSARs and absence of adequate risk mitigation measures due to incorrect use of the RSI.

In a final assessment report, the CHMP has published recommendations for marketing authorisation holders of medicinal products containing sartan. Read more here about the requirements for limit values of nitrosamine impurities and for risk assessments, as well as the deadlines to be met.

The MHRA GVP inspectorate recently published their latest inspection metrics for the period from April 2019 to March 2020. The highest number of all findings in the reporting period related to risk management followed by quality management systems.

The EMA has updated its Q&A document on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland and clarified the recognition of inspections.

The Higher Regional Court (OLG) of Hamburg has decided, in the context of proceedings aimed at the issuance of an interim injunction against a wholesaler, that medical cannabis (cannabis flowers) is not (yet) a medicinal product at the wholesale level.

In the FDA Guidance for Industry on process validation, there is also a short section on concurrent validation. Concurrent validation should be used rarely, but may be possible if, for example, products are manufactured infrequently or medically necessary products are needed for short-term market supply. A recent Warning Letter underlines the guideline's statement that concurrent validation should be used rarely.