Quality management in analytical R&D in the pharmaceutical industry: Building quality from GLP

 The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most regulated activity sectors. The regulation includes specific quality systems such as good laboratory practice (GLP), good clinical practice (GCP) and good manufacture practice (GMP). The principles of GLP mainly cover the formal quality aspects of a procedure and do not evaluate the technical aspects in depth. On the other hand, EN 45001 accreditation covers technical performance and is not suitable for pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) as it is almost impossible to comply with the requirements of the European standard in the pharmaceutical environment. The challenge to the pharmaceutical industry is, therefore, to develop quality systems, compatible with GLP principles, that not only cover formal quality items but also ensure good scientific and technical performance. An implementation process focused on real quality improvement is the best way to achieve this objective, culminating in formal recognition of the quality system by third-party assessment. In the case of analytical R&D, the EURACHEM/CITAC Guide CG2 is a very good tool that can help in the definition, analysis and selection of the non GLP quality elements that will be useful. Received: 30 June 1999 / Accepted: 18 October 1999     

过程分析技术(PAT)在原料药生产中的应用

该文通过采用近红外光谱分析技术对原料药(API)的浓度调节过程进行实时监控,介绍了在良好生产规范条件下过程分析技术(PAT)的实施过程。利用偏最小二乘算法开发出两个校正模型分别用以监控原料药和水分含量,并通过模型校正均方根误差(RMSEC)、交叉检验均方根误差(RMSECV)和预测均方根误差(RMSEP)以及对应的决定系数(R~2)来评估模型的性能。为保证模型性能,按照分析方法验证要求对模型的线性和范围、准确性、精密度(重复性)、专属性以及稳健性指标进行验证。最后通过系统性能测试确认检测系统满足商业化运行的要求。结果显示,采用过程分析技术控制浓度调节过程,可以大幅度缩短浓度调节时间,节约蒸汽能耗和检测费用,减少生产过程中的偏差,提升产品工艺水平和批次间一致性。     

Are there two decks on the analytical chemistry boat?

 This paper examines some problems of implementation of quality assurance (QA) principles in chemical measurement in the university academic environment. Being developed and introduced in practice by industrial and independent commercial laboratories, the 'quality lifestyle' has been largely ignored by the academic analytical community. The academic community is now faced with the fact that teaching, education and training of analytical QA and analytical quality management are no longer a matter of choice.     

Historical incidents leading to the evolution of good manufacturing practice

The concept of good manufacturing practice (GMP) is not new; its roots are very old. The incidents that gave birth to the concept of GMP are summarized in this article. The journey from the FDA toward GMP is highlighted in chronological order. These regulations are mandatory for pharmaceutical industries in order to manufacture quality products.     

Evaluation of laboratory performance in IMEP water interlaboratory comparisons

The aim of International Evaluation Programme (IMEP) is to present objectively the quality of chemical measurements. Participants in IMEP compare their reported measurement results with independent external certified reference values with demonstrated traceability and uncertainty, as evaluated according to international guidelines. Three major interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs), IMEP-6, IMEP-9 and IMEP-12, on trace elements in water were carried out from 1994 to 2000. Participants' results for Cd, Fe and Pb concentrations from these three different IMEP water ILCs were compared by means of suitable performance indicators. The performance evaluation criteria were set according to the requirements stated in the Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water intended for human consumption. Two different performance indicators were selected for evaluation of the individual participants' results: the commonly used z-score and the not so well-known E _n number. The group performance indicator is based on the variation of z-scores. To assess the individual measurement performance, not only the deviation of the reported measurement values from the certified reference value, but also criteria for maximum and minimum acceptable uncertainties were taken into account. The participants' performance is also reviewed by means of using a simple graphical tool, called “Naji-plots”.     

Implementation of a quality assurance system according to GMP and ISO 9001:2008 standard for radiopharmaceutical production in a public research centre

The production of pharmaceuticals is one of the most highly regulated fields in terms of quality. The body of good manufacturing practice (GMP) represents the standard required by law; GMP embraces the guidelines that regulate all activities related to the production and quality control of medicinal products for human and veterinary use. This paper deals with the implementation of a quality management system (QMS) in compliance with GMP and ISO 9001 standards for the production and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals in a public research institute. The production of 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose has been implemented according to GMP standards and has been licensed by the national Authority in 2007. In 2010, a project to orient the system??s GMP compliance to ISO 9001 standards has been approved. A QMS conforming to ISO 9001:2008 should be considered an important additional step in terms of quality, because ISO 9001 also takes into account economic and financial aspects, design and development aspects and introduces management review for measurement and analysis of the process with the aim of improving performances. The harmonization between GMP and ISO has been defined following the Pharmaceutical Quality System Q10 guideline developed by International Conference on Harmonization.     

Establishment of a quality system for nuclear analytical laboratories

Comprehensive Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) Program is stated on the quality policy, organization, methods and records for nuclear analytical laboratories which are necessary for improvement of productivity, to upgrade the performance, credibility and reputation. The proper and complete identification of quality elements for management and technical requirements are being written in Quality Manual as well as analytical and organizational procedures and working instructions according to ISO 17025 standard. Technical ability of gamma, X-ray and a/b laboratories in the Center has been checked by participation in proficiency test, critical technical variables, and quality results. Performance of quality system has been controlled by external audit inspection, progress reports and service to clients. The present study is a framework of the model project of IAEA, coded RER/2/004, which has resulted self-sustainable accreditation from the national body, TURKAK. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A validation concept for purity determination and assay in the pharmaceutical industry using measurement uncertainty and statistical process control

 The analytical chemists in process development in the pharmaceutical industry have to solve the difficult problem of producing high quality methods for purity determination and assay within a short time without a clear definition of the substance to be analyzed. Therefore the quality management is very difficult. The ideal situation would be that every method is validated before use. This is not possible because this would delay the development process. A process-type quality development approach with an estimation type fast validation (measurement uncertainty) is therefore suggested. The quality management process consists of the estimation of measurement uncertainty for early project status. Statistical process control (SPC) is started directly after measurement uncertainty estimation and a classical validation for the end of the project. By this approach a process is defined that allows a fast and cost-efficient way of supporting the development process with the appropriate quality at the end of the process and provides the transparency needed in the development process. The procedure presented tries to solve the problem of the parallelism between the two development processes (chemical and analytical development) by speeding up the analytical development process initially. Received: 25 March 1997 · Accepted: 17 May 1997     

Integration of metrological principles and performance evaluation in a proficiency testing scheme in support of the Council Directive 98/83/EC

Proficiency testing as a means of external quality assessment plays the role of independent evidence of laboratories’ performance. To enable laboratories to fulfil the requirements stated in legislation, methodology for evaluation of laboratories’ performance in proficiency testing schemes should incorporate principles of measurement results which are fit for intended use and incorporate evaluation of laboratories’ performances based on independent reference value. A proficiency testing scheme was designed to support Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) specifically. The methodology for performance evaluation, which takes into account a “fitness for purpose”-based standard deviation for proficiency assessment, is proposed and discussed in terms of requirements of the Drinking Water Directive. A ζ′-score, modified by application of target uncertainty was developed in a way that fulfils requirements defined in the legislation. As an illustration, results are reported for nitrate concentration in water. The approach presented can also be applied to other fields of measurements.     

ISO 17025: practical benefits of implementing a quality system

As a laboratory certified to ISO 9001:2000 and accredited to ISO 17025, rtech laboratories has incorporated an overall system for technical and quality management, which results in benefits observed in daily laboratory practices. Technical requirements were updated to include the addition of formal personnel training plans and detailed records, method development and validation procedures, measurement of method uncertainty, and a defined equipment calibration and maintenance program. In addition, a stronger definition of the sample preparation process was documented to maintain consistency in sampling, and a more rigorous quality control monitoring program was implemented for chemistry and microbiology. Management quality improvements focused on document control to maintain consistent analytical processes, improved monitoring of supplier performance, a contract review process for documenting customer requirements, and a system for handling customer comments and complaints, with continuous improvement through corrective and preventive action procedures and audits. Quarterly management review of corrective actions, nonconforming testing, and proficiency testing aid in determining long-term trending. The practical benefits of these technical and management quality improvements are seen on a daily basis in the laboratory. Faster identification and resolution of issues regarding methods, personnel or equipment, improved customer satisfaction, meeting quality requirements of specialized customers, and overall increased laboratory business are all the result of implementing an effective quality system.     

遵循OBE理念的制药工程专业认识实习教学设计与实施*

依据工程教育专业认证OBE理念,阐述了制药工程专业毕业生的能力要求,认识实习学习成果定位、教学内容设计、教学实施策略、学习成果数据处理与评价、教学质量持续改进等,对于当前认识实习课程教学中所存在的问题与不足,提升认识实习课程教学质量,促进专业认证以及制药工程专业课程建设具有指导与借鉴意义。     

How valid are our QA assumptions: an examination of underpinning Axioms

 There is no universally accepted approach to analytical quality assurance (QA) and different laboratories place emphasis on widely different aspects. The difficulties in agreeing what constitutes best practice originate, in part, from a lack of clarity concerning the underpinning principles or axioms. This paper aims to set out some of the axioms which underpin current thinking and to discuss their validity and interplay, in order to provide a more rational, or at least transparent basis, for the evaluation of different strategies. The selection of issues and the discussion are necessarily subjective and based on the authors experience. It is concluded that current practice is generally soundly based but there is a need for a better understanding of the efficacy and cost-benefit of the various QA techniques available. Scepticism concerning the value of systems and documentation is not well founded, provided they are not taken to excess. There are, however, issues concerning the military-based command-and-control style and the engineering origins of ISO 9000 and ISO Guide 25 requirements which make them not entirely suitable for a modern analytical laboratory. There are also dangers that the command-and-control style could discourage measurement scientists from thinking for themselves or lull them into a false sense of security. Received: 24 December 1998 · Accepted: 18 May 1999     

Quality assurance systems in research and routine analytical laboratories

 In our article we explain the connections between the implementation of quality assurance (QA) in research and routine analytical laboratories. J. K. Taylor claims that QA in an analytical laboratory consists of two independent but closely related terms, quality control and quality assessment. If we construct the QA system according to his ideas, problems concerning quality can be solved with only one concept regardless of the type of analytical laboratory. Therefore there is no need to introduce new QA standards for research laboratories as suggested in some papers. In the routine laboratory quality control is more important, while in the research laboratory quality assessment is dominant.

     

用平行双样测定结果相对偏差限值评估方法验证实验重复性限合理性的研究

分析方法标准验证实验得到的分析方法基本性能参数重复性限和再现性限是日常检测工作质控规范重要依据。以环境监测领域土壤、沉积物及固废样品中无机元素分析为例,考察了已颁布执行的标准文本和在生态环境部官网公开征求意见的分析方法标准中重复性限。将重复性限转化为相对偏差后,与日常检测工作中质控限值进行了比较。根据目前现行有效的平行双样测定结果相对偏差限值,方法验证数据有多大比例符合质控要求？根据方法验证结果,平行双样测定结果相对偏差限值有无改进可能？从上述两个角度进行了研究。研究结果表明：土壤、沉积物、固体废弃物中无机元素的测定,不同文献来源相同分析方法标准和不同分析方法标准,其重复性限转化得到的平行测定相对偏差合格率存在明显区别;用平行测定相对偏差限值可以快速判断标准文本中的重复性限是否合理,审核方法验证数据质量是否满足要求。基于已有标准文本方法验证数据,探讨了修改平行测定结果相对偏差限值可行性。     

Performance of uncertainty evaluation strategies in a food proficiency scheme

A study of the performance of different uncertainty evaluation strategies among 163 voluntary respondents from food proficiency schemes is presented. Strategies included use of: single-laboratory validation data, quality control data, past proficiency testing data, reproducibility data, a measurement equation and the dispersion of replicate observations on the test material. Most performed reasonably well, but the dispersion of replicate observations underestimated uncertainty by a factor of approximately 3. Intended compliance with accreditation requirements was associated with significantly improved uncertainty evaluation performance, while intended compliance with the ISO “Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement” had no significant effect. Substituting estimates based on the Horwitz or Horwitz–Thompson models or on PT target standard deviation for the respondents’ own estimates of uncertainty led to a marked reduction in poor zeta scores and significant improvement in dispersion of zeta scores.     

Quality assurance systems in research and routine analytical laboratories

In our article we explain the connections between the implementation of quality assurance (QA) in research and routine analytical laboratories. J. K. Taylor claims that QA in an analytical laboratory consists of two independent but closely related terms, quality control and quality assessment. If we construct the QA system according to his ideas, problems concerning quality can be solved with only one concept regardless of the type of analytical laboratory. Therefore there is no need to introduce new QA standards for research laboratories as suggested in some papers. In the routine laboratory quality control is more important, while in the research laboratory quality assessment is dominant.     

Analysis of food and tissue samples for IAEA's Reference Asian Man Project (Phase 2): Quality assurance aspects

Quality assurance (QA) procedures were established to generate reliableresults for a set of trace elements of radiological significance, namely Cs,Sr, Th and U. Special attention was given to design QA procedures by incorporatingboth internal and external analytical quality control (AQC) procedures, sincethe project involved a group of countries working on the same analytical problemunder different conditions. The procedures included (1) use of existing certifiedreference materials (CRMs) to validate analytical methods, (2) generatingreference values in selected CRMs where certified results were not available,(3) preparing a new total diet CRM, (4) adopting the concept of a CentralReference Laboratory (CRL) to harmonize QA efforts, and finally, (5) analysisof 10% of all samples in the project by both the CRL and participant laboratoriesto assess performance of the methods used.     

Quality assurance in biological monitoring of environmental exposure to pollutants: from reference materials to external quality assessment schemes

The presence of chemicals in the environment is a matter of concern in that it poses potential health risks. At present, exposure to toxic chemicals and their biological and biochemical effects can be better estimated by biological monitoring, through the systematic collection of specimens from potentially exposed humans. Biological monitoring of human exposure to environmental pollutants is hampered by the difficulty to assess data reliability. As a consequence, the validity of biological monitoring should depend on the strict implementation of a quality assurance (QA) program, which includes a series of procedures aiming to ensure that laboratory results meet defined standards of quality and are reliable. For the validation and monitoring of methods’ performance, to ensure the trueness of measurements and to warrant the traceability to international standards, reference materials (RMs) and certified reference materials should be used. Internal quality control and external quality assessment (EQA) are part of overall QA and are carried out to verify that analytical errors are compatible with the specific requirements or needs of the user. In particular EQA schemes (EQAS) allow to test independently the analytical performance of participating laboratories. In the last decades, increasing concern has been raised by urban air pollution; lead and benzene, two gasoline components released by motor vehicle exhausts, are known to be toxic to humans. For biological monitoring of lead exposure of the general population, screening campaigns, utilizing lead in blood as a biomarker, have been carried out since the 1970s. Strict strategies were adopted to ensure data comparability, including the preparation of RMs, the organization of EQAS and the cross-exchange and analysis of blood samples between laboratories. Biological monitoring of benzene exposure could be carried out by means of various biomarkers such as benzene in blood and benzene, trans,trans-muconic acid (t,t-MA) and S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA) in urine. At present, few RMs and EQAS are available for these biomarkers. A pilot EQAS for t,t-MA in urine, adopted to assess the reliability of data regarding benzene exposure, has been organized and carried out between 1996 and 1997 in Italy. From the accrued experience, it clearly emerges the importance of strategies designed to guarantee the quality of biological monitoring data. The use of RMs and the participation in EQAS are highly recommended in order to improve the global performance of methods and laboratories involved in biological monitoring.     

Implementing quality assurance in an R&D environment at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre – SCK·CEN

If we agree that quality assurance (QA) in R&;D indeed provides added value, just how do we show the public that such a QA system is operating well? At the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCKÖbullet CEN), where a QA system has been implemented by various laboratories in accordance with the EN 45001 standard within the general framework of ISO 9001 at the institutional level, several laboratories have already been accredited. At the request of one of our customers the Belgian Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (NIRAS/ONDRAF), we implemented a quality system for research projects related to the characterization, treatment and processing of radioactive wastes in view of disposal. We obtained accreditation for this research in 1999. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of our QS and important issues related to the overall management of the QA system, broken down into three parts: organizational, technical and project-specific quality elements such as the QA plan and internal communication.