GMP News - Validation

Process controls have become customary in pharmaceutical processes. The aim is to monitor a process and improve it if possible. Statistical process control (SPC) is viewed as one option to implement Ongoing/Continued Process Verification. PharmEuropa has now published a new draft chapter on the topic.

With the revision of Annex 15 in October 2015, the topic of requalification has become more important. Time intervals for the assessment of the equipment with regard to the qualification status and for the requalification itself should be justified. Criteria for the assessment should be defined. This is sometimes difficult. Chapter 9 of the revised ISPE Baseline No 5 Commissioning & Qualification of June 2019 on the periodic review can be helpful here.

In June, a US-American pharmaceutical manufacturer received a Warning Letter from the FDA due to deficiencies in the Purified Water System which concern - among other things - the design of the water system, monitoring, sampling and handling of CAPAs.

The second Warning Letter within six months reveals fundamental issues in quality management. Learn more about the new FDA warning letter to US company Akorn.

It's a frequent question what GMP compliant equipment design is or how a system has to be made up in order to be GMP compliant and suitable for the manufacturing of medicinal products/APIs. There is a short and a long answer to these questions around GMP-compliant equipment design.

The data integrity topic raises a number of questions. Current questions are addressed in a loose sequence of News. Question 4: Does the deletion of data have to be regulated in a SOP?

What are the authorities' requirements regarding process validation? Regulatory GMP inspection reports are useful in answering that question. The "Freedom of Information Act" obliges the US FDA to publish all inspection results. The FDA does that particularly when it comes to warning letters.