• Why the Supply Chain Is so Important Toward Supporting Business Success

    6 July, 2017 by Bob Ferrari, Managing Director, The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group, Founder and Executive Editor, Supply Chain Matters blog

    I term myself as an observer of multi-industry supply chains from respective management practitioner, technology implementer and industry analyst roles. I founded the

    Full story

  • An Exciting Time in Life Sciences: Touching Stories from a Life-Improving Industry

    29 June, 2017 by Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    A recent industry outlook for the life sciences industry published by Deloitte mentions opportunities and concerns facing the life sciences industry.

    Full story

  • Combination Products and CGMPs: What You Should Know

    27 June, 2017 by Dr. Karl M. Kapp, Department of Instructional Technology, Bloomsburg University

     At the beginning of this year, the FDA    issued final guidance for Current Good  Manufacturing Practice (CGMPs)  Requirements for Combination Products.  This guidance is for therapeutic and  diagnostic products that combine drugs,  devices, and/or biological products. This  guidance has become increasingly  necessary due to the rapid pace of technological advances in the life science industry where product types continue to merge and blur lines

    Full story

  • Free Webinar: What the New European Med Device Regulation Means

    22 June, 2017 by Cindy Fazzi, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    The European Parliament recently adopted a stricter, more extensive Medical Device Regulation (MDR) to replace the Medical Device Directives (MDD). It will affect all manufacturers selling devices in the European Union. What does the new regulation mean for device manufacturers? Will it make life harder and increase costs for them?

    Full story

  • Required Records of Selected Regulations Under the Food Safety Modernization Act

    20 June, 2017 by Erika Miller, Food Safety Specialist, D.L. Newslow and Associates

    The Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA (2011), has dominated the conversation in food safety circles for quite some time now. Compliance dates are arriving, and companies are realizing there is a lot to be done to become compliant. Companies that traditionally had little to no contact with the FDA (if everything was going right) are now seeing activity, whether anticipated or not.

    Full story

  • The Quality Metrics Journey

    15 June, 2017 by Susan Schniepp, Fellow, Regulatory Compliance Associates Inc

    One of the most discussed and debated topics on today’s pharmaceutical landscape is the issue of quality metrics. Establishing, maintaining, and interpreting quality metrics to determine the suitability of pharmaceutical products has become a high priority for the FDA. To understand the issue of quality metrics it is important to start at the beginning.

    Full story

  • Understanding FDA’s UDI Guidance: The Key to Compliance

    13 June, 2017 by Beth Pedersen, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    The latter half of 2016 saw the second highest number of U.S. medical device recalls since 2000 with 650 medical devices and over 180 million units pulled from the market, according to Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS’

    Full story

  • Writing and Maintaining SOPs: Drudgery or Delight?

    18 April, 2017 Katy McMullin, Senior Professional Services Consultant at MasterControl

    "SOPs! We don't need no stinking SOPs!"

    Full story

  • Training Does Not Stand Alone: The Quest for Training Effectiveness Continues

    8 June, 2017 by Vivian Bringslimark, President and Owner, HPIS Consulting, Inc.

    While training may appear to be straightforward to most leaders, the effectiveness follow up is anything but clear-cut. So why do business leaders frown when the answer to the training effectiveness question is – it depends?

    Full story

  • Why It’s Time to Revisit FDA’s Quality by Design

    1 June, 2017 Cindy Fazzi, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Patients of Alzheimer’s disease, their families, and health care advocates recently encountered back-to-back disappointments when two clinical trials for Alzheimer’s drugs failed in quick succession. First, Eli Lilly & Co. stopped its late-stage clinical trial for solanezumab, then Merck & Co. ended its clinical trial for verubecestat. Both studies failed to show efficacy.

    Full story

  • When GCP & GMP Meet

    30 May, 2017 by Laurie Meehan, Social Media Manager, Polaris Compliance Consultants

    Developing safe and effective drugs requires a coordinated effort across a diverse set of disciplines. This is easier to observe at some points in the process than at others. Once a product is well into human trials, it can be easy to forget that developments on the manufacturing side of the house can affect the clinicians who are conducting the studies.

    Full story

  • How an Electronic Quality Management System Helps With Cybersecurity

    25 May, 2017 by David Jensen, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    For medical device manufacturers, technology is a double-edged sword. The technologies that elevate the quality of life for patients can be used by cyber actors to undermine both the manufacturing organization and the products themselves. This means cybersecurity is as much a quality issue as it is a security issue.

    Full story

  • The 15 Strangest Phobias and Why They Include the Fear of Paper

    23 May, 2017 Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    It’s difficult to label any phobia as the “strangest” because most phobias are considered kooky, weird or downright bizarre. Phobias are also nearly impossible to understand with the logical mind – they just don’t seem to make sense! However, for those experiencing a true phobia, logic doesn’t make one bit of difference. The terror is still alive and well.

    Full story

  • Keeping Up With the Top Pharma Industry Trends of 2017

    18 May, 2017 James Jardine, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    A close look at the key trends that will have the biggest impact on the pharmaceutical industry this year.

    Full story

  • The “New Normal” for FDA Enforcement of the Food Industry: What You Need to Know and How to Prepare

    16 May, 2017 by Maile Gradison Hermida and Brian D. Eyink, Hogan Lovells US LLP

    With the parade of headlines announcing a new food-borne illness investigation, recall, or Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforcement action continuing unabated, food company executives, quality assurance officers, and legal counsel are struggling to understand the new food enforcement paradigm.  Although every situation and company is different, in this article we identify four key developments that all food companies need to be aware of, as well as key steps that will help to prepare

    Full story

  • What Is a Document Control System?

    12 May, 2017 David Jensen, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Being in the regulated manufacturer arena, you have heard that oft recited phrase “if it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” This motto shared among life sciences companies means an efficient document control system is at the core of quality management. Documents and records serve as proof that your company follows good manufacturing and document management practices required for compliance.

    Full story

  • What is a Document Management System and 8 Reasons Your Company Probably Needs One

    9 May, 2017 Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    A document management system is a software solution that allows for the digital management of documentation. Today most documentation managed by document management systems is business-related.

    Full story

  • Life Science Polls Reveal Lack of Automation, High Cost of Quality Stoppages

    4 May, 2017 Cindy Fazzi, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Increased automation through digital technology platforms is one of the top business trends for 2017 (1). It’s a crucial enabler for businesses to compete successfully, according to the IT research and advisory company Gartner Inc.

    Full story

  • 10 Criteria to Aid in the Selection of Investigative Sites

    2 May, 2017 by Craig Morgan, Head of Marketing, goBalto

    Investigative sites are the heart and soul of clinical trials, essential to ensuring the efficacy and safety of pharmaceutical compounds in humans. Site selection is pivotal to the successful execution of trials, which are not only long and bureaucratic, but are also experiencing diminishing returns. Studies estimate that it costs upwards of $2B dollars to bring a new drug to market, with daily revenue losses in ranging from $1M to $8M due to delayed market entry.

    Full story

  • "We're Different!" Overcoming the Challenges of Applying Lean Principles to Knowledge Work

    27 April, 2017 by Drew Locher, President, Change Management Associates

    If you are applying lean management principles to R and D, life science, or other knowledge work processes, you’ve probably heard the "we're different” argument. It usually goes something like this, “You can’t apply lean process improvement techniques to creative work because everything we do varies."

    Full story