Regulatory Affairs

Regulatory and market expectations constantly increase. Novel drug products such as cell and gene therapies have a very high value and therefore each dose is precious. With that, drug product manufacturers face increased pressure to minimize rejects of finished drug products. One aspect of this is controlling particulate matter. Particulate matter in finished drug products can come from a number of sources, including the ingredients in the drug product, manufacturing equipment and environment, or the components of the container closure system. This blog describes approaches to control and measure particulate matter.

On November 6, 2020, West’s Regulatory Affairs Senior Director, Lynn Lundy, presented at the 2020 ISPE (International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering) Annual Meeting and Expo. The week-long virtual meeting focused on steering the future of pharmaceutical science and manufacturing toward a more global, synchronized, and quality-driven industry. Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical professionals from drug manufacturing, supply chain, devices and equipment and services, and global regulatory agencies were in attendance to discuss hot topics such as Data Integrity, Covid-19 Impact, Combination Products and more.

Are you challenged with managing change as it relates to a drug substance, drug product or drug/device combination product? You are not alone!

Technical Guideline for Study of Nitrosamine Impurities in Chemical Drugs (Trial) was issued by the China National Medical Products Administration on 8 May 2020. This guideline discusses nitrosamine impurities in drug products, including the sources of nitrosamine impurities and the control strategy. The control strategy is given from the perspectives of the basic concept of control, control limits, establishment of analytical methods, and control of risk throughout the drug product lifecycle.

Several important changes have been made recently in the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP): Chapter <381> was amended and new chapters <382>, <1382>, and <1381> were created. West has been aware of these changes and is prepared to address them from both a knowledge and a technology perspective.

Understanding the different compendial and standards requirements, and how they influence the final delivery of parenteral drug products, is critical for ensuring patient safety. There are ongoing efforts to harmonize national pharmacopoeia and international standards, driven in large measure by the continuous technological developments in the pharmaceutical industry. Harmonization efforts can be treated differently depending upon the country and working group, and in some cases larger differences result. Staying aware of changes and differences can be a challenge.