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     

Chemometrics-Based Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Tools: Applications and Adaptation in Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Industries

Process analytical technology (PAT) is used to monitor and control critical process parameters in raw materials and in-process products to maintain the critical quality attributes and build quality into the product. Process analytical technology can be successfully implemented in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries not only to impart quality into the products but also to prevent out-of-specifications and improve the productivity. PAT implementation eliminates the drawbacks of traditional methods which involves excessive sampling and facilitates rapid testing through direct sampling without any destruction of sample. However, to successfully adapt PAT tools into pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical environment, thorough understanding of the process is needed along with mathematical and statistical tools to analyze large multidimensional spectral data generated by PAT tools. Chemometrics is a chemical discipline which incorporates both statistical and mathematical methods to obtain and analyze relevant information from PAT spectral tools. Applications of commonly used PAT tools in combination with appropriate chemometric method along with their advantages and working principle are discussed. Finally, systematic application of PAT tools in biopharmaceutical environment to control critical process parameters for achieving product quality is diagrammatically represented.     

Challenges and Opportunities of Implementing Data Fusion in Process Analytical Technology—A Review

The release of the FDA’s guidance on Process Analytical Technology has motivated and supported the pharmaceutical industry to deliver consistent quality medicine by acquiring a deeper understanding of the product performance and process interplay. The technical opportunities to reach this high-level control have considerably evolved since 2004 due to the development of advanced analytical sensors and chemometric tools. However, their transfer to the highly regulated pharmaceutical sector has been limited. To this respect, data fusion strategies have been extensively applied in different sectors, such as food or chemical, to provide a more robust performance of the analytical platforms. This survey evaluates the challenges and opportunities of implementing data fusion within the PAT concept by identifying transfer opportunities from other sectors. Special attention is given to the data types available from pharmaceutical manufacturing and their compatibility with data fusion strategies. Furthermore, the integration into Pharma 4.0 is discussed.     

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(R²)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。     

Current experiences with a quality management system for non-clinical research and development in pharmaceutical industry

Quality management is one of the most important issues in pharmaceutical research as it determines the validity and reliability of data, data and data evaluation being the central products of all research activities. In this business it is of outstanding importance to generate valid data for the assessment of drug development candidates to assure that the huge financial investment, which is based on such assessments, can be successful. Efficacy and safety of products are the final goals of such developments. Therefore, Merck/Merck Serono implemented an additional specifically developed quality management system that covers all areas and locations in Merck Serono Research that were not yet regulated by an existing regulatory quality management system, e.g. GLP (Good Laboratory Practice). The system is known under the name Merck Serono Research-Quality Management System (MSR-QMS). Thus, we describe the implementation process of MSR-QMS as a research specific quality management system in a global company. Furthermore, the implementation process in one specific research department will be highlighted. Using a practical example, the validation of an analytical instrument in a MSR-QMS-regulated research laboratory will be shown and compared to a validation process in a strictly GLP-regulated area. A summary of the experiences with the new quality system will complete this article and the advantages of high quality research results in industry will be discussed.     

Biofiltration methods for the removal of phenolic residues

Industrial effluents from the pharmaceutical industry often contain high concentrations of phenolic compounds. The presence of “anthropogenic” organic compounds in the environment is a serious problem for human health; therefore, it merits special attention by the competent public agencies. Different methods have been proposed in the last two decades for the treatment of this kind of industrial residues, the most important of which are those utilizing absorption columns, vaporization and extraction, and biotechnological methods. Biofiltration is a method for the removal of contaminants present in liquid or gaseous effluents by the use of aerobic microorganisms, which are immobilized on solid or porous supports. Although several bacteria can utilize aromatic compounds as carbon and energy source, only a few of them are able to make this biodegradation effectively and with satisfactory rate. For this reason, more investigation is needed to ensure an efficient control of process parameters as well as to select the suited reactor configuration. The aim of this work is to provide an overview on the main aspects of biofiltration for the treatment of different industrial effluents, with particular concern to those coming from pharmaceutical industry and laboratories for the production of galenicals.     

The Process Analytical Technology initiative and multivariate process analysis, monitoring and control

Process analytical technology is an essential step forward in pharmaceutical industry. Real-time analyzers will provide timely data on quality properties. This information combined with process data (temperatures, flow rates, pressure readings) collected in real time can become a powerful tool for this industry, for process understanding, process and quality monitoring, abnormal situation detection and for improving product quality and process reliability. A very important tool for this achievement is the multivariate analysis. Dr. Theodora Kourti is Research Manager in the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium (MACC) and Adjunct Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at McMaster University. She is the co-recipient of the 2003 University – Industry Synergy Award for Innovation, given by the Natural Science & Engineering Research Council of Canada. Dr. Kourti has been working on Multivariate Statistical Methods for Process and Product Improvement and Abnormal Situation Detection in Process Industries since 1992 and has been involved in more than 80 major industrial applications in North America and Europe. These are either off-line or real-time applications for batch and continuous processes, in diverse industries such as Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Semiconductor, Mining, Pulp and Paper, Petrochemicals, Photographic and Steel Industry. She has published extensively in this area and has provided training for numerous industrial practitioners.     

The Virtual Central Laboratory approach for the retrieval and management of clinical laboratory data for clinical studies

In 1996, the Virtual Central Laboratory (VCL) concept was presented at the 2nd Conference on Quality [R]evolution in Clinical Laboratories: participating laboratories measure calibrators. The outcome of these measurements is used to calculate conversion factors. The obtained factors are subsequently applied to standardize the results of a number of routine chemistry parameters. This conversion method is now part of a quality system to collect clinical laboratory data in accordance with the Good Clinical Practice guidelines on patients participating in clinical trials organized by the pharmaceutical industry. This approach eliminates the need for centralized laboratory services. Presently over 300 laboratories participate in a number of pan-European clinical trials where the VCL is applied. In this paper our experiences over the last 2?years will be discussed.     

A CADD-alog of strategies in pharma

A special issue on computer-aided drug design (CADD) strategies in pharma discusses how CADD groups in different environments work. Perspectives were collected from authors in 11 organizations: four big pharmaceutical companies, one major biotechnology company, one smaller biotech, one private pharmaceutical company, two contract research organizations (CROs), one university, and one that spans the breadth of big pharmaceutical companies and one smaller biotech.     

Corrosion of stainless steel in food and pharmaceutical industry

Stainless steels are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industry because of their high corrosion resistance and superior mechanical properties. These features are crucial because produced foodstuffs and drugs must comply with high purity and quality standards. Just a proper selection of stainless steel grade can prevent corrosion phenomena that can be detrimental to the whole manufacturing process. Food/drugs production process phases will be here analyzed and discussed with a particular emphasis on the possible corrosion mechanism of stainless steels in those particular operating conditions. Recent advances on the methods to assess corrosion of stainless steels in food and pharmaceutical industries will be disclosed.     

A new non-invasive, quantitative Raman technique for the determination of an active ingredient in pharmaceutical liquids by direct measurement through a plastic bottle

The concentration of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (povidone) in a commercial eyewash solution has been measured directly through a plastic (low-density polyethylene: LDPE) container using a wide area illumination (WAI) Raman scheme. The WAI scheme allows excitation using a 6 mm laser spot (focal length: 248 mm) that is designed to cover a wide sample area. As a result, it has the potential to improve the reliability Raman measurements by significantly enhancing representative sample interrogation, thus improving the reproducibility of sampling. It also decreases the sensitivity of sample placement with regard to the excitation focal plane. Simultaneously, isobutyric anhydride was placed in front of the bottles to use for a synchronous external standard configuration. This helps to correct the problematic variation of Raman intensity from the inherent fluctuation in laser power. Using the WAI Raman scheme combined with the synchronous standard method, the povidone concentration was successfully measured with spectral collection that was performed through a plastic barrier. The conventional Raman scheme was difficult to employ for the same purpose because of the degraded spectral reproducibility resulting from the smaller laser illumination area and the sensitivity of such an approach to the position of the sample bottle. The result from this study suggests that the WAI scheme exhibits a strong potential for the non-destructive quantitative analysis of pharmaceuticals measured directly in plastic containers. Preliminary work also shows that similar measurements can also be made in glass bottles. If implemented, this technique could be utilized as a simple and rugged method for quality assurance of final products in a manner consistent with Process analytical technology (PAT) requirements.     

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     

Fragment-based lead discovery: challenges and opportunities

Fragment-based lead discovery has undergone remarkable changes over the last 15 years. During this time, the pharmaceutical industry has changed dramatically as well, and continued evolution of the industry is assured. These changes present many challenges but also several opportunities for executing fragment-based drug design. This article will explore some of the more significant changes in the industry and how they may affect future discovery efforts related to fragment-based initiatives.     

Quality assurance in research laboratories

During the last decade, it has become increasingly important that researchers demonstrate that research is conducted to the highest standards. The implementation of quality assurance for research laboratories will enable all fields of research and development to be judged impartially. There are no specific standards for research laboratories but where possible, existing standards can be adapted. This review is structured around two approaches. The first considers research to be a logical extension of testing, and it is assumed that testing standards can be applied methodically to each step in a research project. The second advocates a flexible approach, with research-specific criteria for assessing quality. The important papers published on this topic have been reviewed. The conclusions are that the general quality management approach, encompassed by the ISO 9000 series of standards with the emphasis on customer satisfaction and ‘fitness for purpose’, is suitable for implementing quality assurance in research laboratories.     

Optimization of parameters for molecular dynamics simulation using smooth particle-mesh Ewald in GROMACS 4.5

Based on our critique of requirements for performing an efficient molecular dynamics simulation with the particle-mesh Ewald (PME) implementation in GROMACS 4.5, we present a computational tool to enable the discovery of parameters that produce a given accuracy in the PME approximation of the full electrostatics. Calculations on two parallel computers with different processor and communication structures showed that a given accuracy can be attained over a range of parameter space, and that the attributes of the hardware and simulation system control which parameter sets are optimal. This information can be used to find the fastest available PME parameter sets that achieve a given accuracy. We hope that this tool will stimulate future work to assess the impact of the quality of the PME approximation on simulation outcomes, particularly with regard to the trade-off between cost and scientific reliability in biomolecular applications.     

Lead generation--enhancing the success of drug discovery by investing in the hit to lead process

Improving on the poor success rates in the drug discovery industry requires that knowledge-based decisions are made to advance or stop a lead candidate as early as possible in the discovery process. Failure to make such timely decisions on the rigorous selection of lead candidates has costly time and resource implications in downstream drug development. To meet this challenge dedicated 'hit to lead' groups have recently been established in many major pharmaceutical companies, and a key to the success of such groups is establishing a clear consistent process and rigorous metrics for lead quality. The importance of such a "Lead Generation" group within the drug discovery process will be highlighted with the aim of placing a greater level of emphasis in discovering and refining novel lead series with enhanced drug-like properties. This activity is facilitated by the application of productivity enhancing, integrated technologies coupled with the early evaluation of drug-like properties in the lead refinement process to ensure that a balanced activity - properties profile can be attained before committing to a full lead optimisation program. This article will survey the processes and tools employed in the hit to lead process in such a "Lead Generation" group in order to achieve these objectives, emphasising the possible gains in productivity through close, early interactions between chemistry and other expert groups.     

Chromatographic Determination of the Mycotoxin Patulin in 219 Chinese Tea Samples and Implications for Human Health

Patulin (PAT) is a mycotoxin, with several acute, chronic, and cellular level toxic effects, produced by various fungi. A limit for PAT in food of has been set by authorities to guarantee food safety. Research on PAT in tea has been very limited although tea is the second largest beverage in the world. In this paper, HPLC−DAD and GC−MS methods for analysis of PAT in different tea products, such as non-fermented (green tea), partially fermented (oolong tea, white tea, yellow tea), completely fermented (black tea), and post-fermented (dark tea and Pu-erh tea) teas were developed. The methods showed good selectivity with regard to tea pigments and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) and a recovery of 90–102% for PAT at a 10–100 ppb spiking level. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) in tea were 1.5 ng/g and 5.0 ng/g for HPLC−UV, and 0.25 ng/g and 0.83 ng/g for GC−MS. HPLC was simpler and more robust, while GC−MS showed higher sensitivity and selectivity. GC−MS was used to validate the HPLC−UV method and prove its accuracy. The PAT content of 219 Chinese tea samples was investigated. Most tea samples contained less than 10 ng/g, ten more than 10 ng/g and two more than 50 ng/g. The results imply that tea products in China are safe with regard to their PAT content. Even an extreme daily consumption of 25 g of the tea with the highest PAT content (124 ng/g), translates to an intake of only 3 μg/person/day, which is still an order of magnitude below the maximum allowed daily intake of 30 µg for an adult.     

Measuring the performance of quality assurance processes: pharmaceutical industry deviation management case study

This article presents experience from the practice of a successful pharmaceutical company related to design and implementation of performance measures (PMs) for deviation management linked to the analysis of impact on the production cost for the selected product. Case study focuses on PMs within good manufacturing practice (GMP) processes related to quality assurance (QA) and quality management, with the aim of complying with its future requirements proposed by the European Commission. Critical areas were identified based on data gathered from the industrial deviation database. Implementation of the suggested corrective actions showed significant improvement in terms of reducing their number for more than 50% per selected deviation category. The results obtained in the course of this practice-oriented study contribute to further improvement of deviation management in the pharmaceutical industry and performance measurement of other GMP processes. The suggested performance measurement concept and problem-solving techniques may serve both practitioners and the decision-makers within QA and quality control (QC) in order to improve their processes by implementing relevant regulatory requirements for quality management and maintain compliance.     

On-line bulk elemental analysis in the resource industries using neutron-gamma techniques

Summary There is an increasing need in industry, arising from both economic and environmental considerations, to reduce costs and improve product quality through the use of automation. The use of on-line analysis instrumentation provides plant operators with a means for continuous measurement and rapid response. This can result in better control of process efficiency, product quality and resource utilization, all of which produce significant economic and environmental benefits. On-line measurement of bulk elemental composition is important in many industrial applications and is best achieved with highly penetrating neutron-gamma techniques. This paper presents recent work by CSIRO Minerals on the development and implementation of such a technique, NITA (neutron inelastic-scattering and thermal-capture analysis). NITA is distinct from the more common PGNAA (prompt neutron gamma activation analysis) technique in its use of fast neutron sources to generate inelastic scattering reactions, and in its consequent ability to excite gamma-rays from industrially important elements such as carbon and oxygen. The paper will compare the features of NITA and PGNAA analysers and will discuss applications of NITA in industry, including the on-line analysis of composition in pyrometallurgical applications and the on-conveyor belt monitoring of cement raw meal and coal.