GMP News - APIs and Excipients

The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) adopted the Concept paper on the development of a Reflection Paper on modern manufacturing techniques used for herbal preparations. The proposed reflection paper should support the industry in the development and application of modern manufacturing methods regarding herbal preparations.

The FDA issued a new guidance to provide general considerations to sponsors developing psychedelic drugs for medical use. According to the agency, there has been growing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. This is the first FDA guidance that presents considerations for designing clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.

In July 2023, individual chapters of the "Best Practice Guides (BPGs) for the Submission and Processing of Variations in the Mutual Recognition Procedure" were updated and published on the HMA (Heads of Medicines Agencies) website.

Supplement 11.3 to the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.) is now available and will be implemented on 1 January 2024. According to the EDQM timetable, this supplement will be followed by versions 11.4 to 11.8, with the final implementation date planned for July 2025.

At the beginning of August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a new Warning Letter. As in several cases in recent months, it is again about a US manufacturer who failed to conduct proper identity testing of glycerin and other high-risk components. In addition, a number of other CGMP violations are documented.

In the Pharmacopeial Forum, PF 49(4), a stimuli article entitled "Proposals for the Development, Composition, and Routine Use of System Suitability Standard Mixtures in Support of Chromatographic Screening for Organic Extractables and Leachables" was published.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a new Warning Letter. The company in question manufactures over-the-counter (OTC) topical drug products, e.g. antibacterial hand soaps and hand sanitizers. The list of GMP violations is quite extensive and concerns, among others, QU oversight, handling of out-of-specification (OOS) results, identity testing, and laboratory controls in general.