Former Head of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Dpt. AFSSAPS
Dr Markus Keller
Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA)
Objectives
This course explains how the requirements laid down in the GMP and FDA regulations can be put into technological and engineering practice. The whole lifecycle from the design, the qualification and the maintenance of equipment is covered. The Annex 15 of the EU GMP Guide plays an important role here as well.
Background
Technical compliance is a wide field, especially when taking into account the ICH framework which covers the whole lifecycle of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
It does not only mean to comply with regulatory guidelines, but also with submissions and the technological state of the art, meaning ISO and other standards as well as accepted good practices in the pharmaceutical Industry.
In this GMP course we want to focus on the main topics with regard to compliance in the technical environment:
Technical QA aspects
There are a number of quality assurance systems which are crucial for the technical units. Most important are changes and deviations (as they also can occur in technical environment) which have or might have a direct impact on the pharmaceutical material produced. And even more important is the validation system, where the qualification of equipment, utilities and facilities has to be part of.
GMP Facility & Re-Construction
Designing an appropriate layout belongs to this part as well as understanding what the GMP requirements for the cleanrooms and for the HVAC systems are, depending on the type of manufacture. Re-Construction during on-going manufacture is supreme discipline in this field.
GMP-compliant design of equipment
A GMP-compliant design of equipment is the basis for fulfilling the technical requirements. In this respect, engineering assumes a prominent role in ensuring the safety of medicinal products. In this context, the need for material certificates is often subject to discussion.
Validation / Qualification
Not only GMP regulations but also inspectors consider qualified equipment and validated processes as the prerequisites for producing pharmaceutical quality. The identification of the equipment that has to be qualified by means of a risk analysis is a crucial point. This field has now re-gained considerable attention as the regulations are changing: After FDA’s new guide on validation (and process verification) also Annex 15 of the EU GMP Guide has been revised.
Routine Operation
Preventive maintenance in pharmaceutical production is an essential element of the Pharmaceutical Quality System. Systems for calibration & handling of repairs are of equal importance for maintaining the qualified state. That’s why maintenance and calibration are parts of an efficient requalification system, besides the change control and deviation systems of course.
Target Group
This course is directed at staff in pharmaceutical engineering departments, at technicians, engineers, planners as well as plant constructors and equipment suppliers who are involved in tasks related to engineering work in a cGMP environment.
Testimonials
Seminar Programme as PDF