GMP News - Pharmaceutical Technology

Without airlocks between cleanroom areas of different cleanroom classes, no flow of material or personnel would be possible. But what are the GMP or purity requirements for airlocks?

A frequently asked question in courses on product / technology transfer is: Is a transfer plan a required GMP document?

The PIC/S (Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme) already published a new version of its GMP Guide PE016 in February. This is due to the revision of the EU regulation on clinical trials. There is also a new annex on certification by a Qualified Person and batch release.

Stainless steel is predominantly used in pharmaceutical equipment engineering. The 316L variant is basically regarded as standard; material incompatibilities of the steel with the product are more or less neglected. This is different with plastics. In addition to leach-out, aging and surface finish, other quality characteristics are often specified. But are there generally applicable requirements for plastics in pharmaceutical equipment engineering?

The US FDA reports deficiencies during inspections in the so-called Form 483s. These reports are partly public, and the FDA subjects them to trending by key points. The evaluation of the last year 2020 shows a significant increase in inspection deficiencies with regard to equipment.

Thermal sanitization is still the most common method for keeping pharmaceutical water plants under microbiological control.  Some systems are stored at high temperatures - but often water systems are heated up cyclically to an elevated, germicidal temperature. Here, the question of optimal temperature often arises.