• February Tip: Continuous Employee Training Reduces Deviations and Nonconformances

    9 February, 2018 by Jake Walton, Corporate Operations Quality Manager, MasterControl

    This blog post is part of an ongoing series to provide the latest tips from experts in the field to help readers keep up with changes in the quality and regulatory industry .

    Full story

  • Are Clinical Research Sites a Dying Paradigm?

    6 February, 2018 by Craig Morgan, Head of Marketing, goBalto

    A recent analysis by the Manhattan Institute determined that Phase III clinical trials account for 90% or more of the cost of developing an approved drug from laboratory to pharmacy. [1] Given that reliable estimates put the cost of developing, and gaining marketing approval for a new drug, at well over a billion dollars,[2] it’s clear that human trials are pivotal to the pharmaceutical industry scrambling to find ways to reduce costs and speed timelines, while maintaining the quality and efficacy of the research.

    Full story

  • What Do Changes to Australia’s PIC/S Guide to GMP Mean for Pharma Down Under?

    1 February, 2018 by Luana Carone, Solutions Consultant for Australia/New Zealand, MasterControl

    It’s said that change is never easy. But in the pharmaceutical industry, flexibility, and adaptability are part and parcel of successfully delivering the safest, highest quality products to a global market.

    Full story

  • January Tip: Strategies for New Regulatory Managers

    30 January, 2018 by Patricia Santos-Serrao

    A good place to start is to identify the key stakeholders and decision makers in each department. This exercise will show you how close what is on paper is aligned to what is done in practice. Finding out “who is who” in each department will come with an explanation of their activities… pay attention to the overall scheme and coordination that takes and the various approaches, tactics, and means each department uses to accomplish their tasks. You will need this understanding to be effective as a regulatory leader.

    Full story

  • Data Integrity: A Return to Basics

    25 January, 2018 by Philippe Charbon, CEO of Apsalys, a European value-added Partner of MasterControl

    Since the U.K.’s Medical and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) (1) and the U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2), published on this subject in 2015 and 2016, respectively, data integrity continues to gain importance as an issue. Some workshop participants wondered if this is simply a new trending topic that will quickly fade. I firmly believe that it is not.

    Full story

  • January Tip: How to Choose and Use External Consultants

    23 January, 2018 by Jake Walton, Quality Manager

    External consulting firms can be used to provide expert help for many of the standard responsibilities that the quality department is tasked with. These external organizations are ready to provide you with the necessary documents to get on your approved supplier list, and can jump into work at various stages. Look for organizations that have specialized experience in the area(s) you are looking for and they can quickly and effectively help.

    Full story

  • The Right EQMS for the Homeopathy Crackdown

    18 January, 2018 by Sarah Beale, Staff Writer

    For nutraceutical companies, recent headlines promising an FDA crackdown on homeopathic products were probably a bit unsettling. Traditionally the FDA hasn't been involved with homeopathy, but this new guidance means that companies will have to become compliant with these six risk-based categories.

    Full story

  • Risk-Based Approach as Clear as Mud

    16 January, 2018 by Michelle Lott, Principal and Founder, Lean RAQA Systems

    This is the second post in the series “The Practical Guide to the ISO 13485:2016 Practical Guide.” If you missed the first installment, catch up by reading it here. This post explores how the Practical Guide defines “risk-based approach,” varying terminology, and which systems require it.

    Full story

  • Ensuring Quality In Medical Device Trials

    11 January, 2018 by Mary Lewis, Senior Clinical Research Specialist, IMARC

    Manufacturers have used a quality systems approach to ensure consistency within their processes for years, but the FDA is now encouraging clinical researchers to take a similar approach to medical device trials.

    Full story

  • 4 Ways an EQMS Can Help You Improve Supplier Visibility

    9 January, 2018 by David Butcher, Staff Writer

    Leveraging a centralized electronic quality management system (EQMS) can help medical device manufacturers bring together all quality data, leading to greater visibility and solutions to at least four key quality challenges across the extended supply chain, according to MasterControl Senior Product Manager Terrance Holbrook.

    Full story

  • Software as a Medical Device: What Does It Mean and Why Should I Care?

    4 January, 2018 by Mike Rigert, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    A little over a year ago, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) released its draft guidance (1) regarding a newer, skyrocketing segment of the medical device industry—that of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD). The guidance means to address the emergence of thousands of stand-alone, health-oriented software apps that fall into a gray area in terms of regulation. Obviously, SaMDs aren’t traditional medical devices, but neither are they Pokémon Go.

    Full story

  • 5 Areas of Focus When Conducting Supplier Audits

    2 January, 2018 by David Butcher, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Conducting supplier audits is a well-established way to identify, eliminate and prevent quality problems in a supplier’s products, processes or management system before the problems spread. Still, there are ways to improve supplier audits. In a recent article for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, MasterControl Senior Product Manager Terrance Holbrook recommended five actions take to to better conduct onsite supplier audits.

    Full story

  • Is Your Medical Device Company Headed Toward a 483?

    28 December, 2017 by Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Medical device companies that sell product in the United States should be ready at all times for a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspection. FDA inspectors have the authority to issue a 483 notice, which is officially referred to by the FDA as a “Notice of Inspectional Observations.” The seriousness of receiving a 483 should not be underestimated.

    Full story

  • 5 Most Common Pharma Form 483 Quagmires & How to Avoid Them

    26 December, 2017 by James Jardine, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    See the most common reasons the FDA cited pharmaceutical companies with Form 483 Inspectional Observations last year and examine potential remedies that can help prevent future warnings.

    Full story

  • Three Common Reasons Biologics Companies Receive FDA Form 483 Notices

    21 December, 2017 by Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Biologics companies that wish to sell product in the United States should be ready at all times for a Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspection. FDA inspectors have the authority to issue a Form 483 notice, which is a documented form that communicates when a company’s practices are not in compliance with regulatory standards.

    Full story

  • How Santa’s Kitchen Prepares for an FDA Inspection

    19 December, 2017 by Marci Crane, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    Before Santa can fill the stockings of good children from across the world, he and his elves must be inspected and/or audited by certified auditing bodies and similar organizations from around the world. Why? Because Santa must prove that the sweet treats he manufactures measure up to high quality standards for all children everywhere.

    Full story

  • Holiday Party Hosting Tip: Get an eQMS

    14 December, 2017 by David Jensen, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    It’s that time of year when we get together with family and friends and enjoy holiday festivities. Sure, all the mingling and merriment of a holiday party can be fun, but organizing an event—not so much. If you happen to be the designated planner/host of your holiday soiree, you may want to consider using an electronic quality management system (eQMS).

    Full story

  • The Quality Leader's Guide to Quality 4.0

    12 December, 2017 by Beth Pedersen, Staff Writer, MasterControl

    As a new calendar year approaches, the technology at our disposal is exceeded only by the number of ways it can be applied to improve communication, understanding, planning and productivity. In fact, the last decade has seen such rapid advances in areas like connectivity, mobility, analytics, scalability and data that it has sparked a fourth industrial revolution, known as Industry 4.0. IT and operations teams are chomping at the bit to implement these new technologies to help them operate better, smarter and faster. But what does this mean for quality and the teams responsible for it?

    Full story

  • FDA Draft Guidance on Electronic Records and Signatures: The Next Chapter

    7 December, 2017 by Betsy Fallen, BAFallen Consulting LLC

    Just about everyone in the drug development industry has cited 21 CFR Part 11 at one time or another. Fondly referred to as “Part 11,” the August 1997 regulation was last referenced by the FDA in 2003 with the release of a Guidance for Industry - Part 11, Electronic Records; Electronic Signatures — Scope and Application.1 Since then, the centralized research team has significantly changed from only a few stakeholders into a system of many globally distributed contributors. The industry’s documentation has transitioned from paper files to dynamic, integrated systems supporting digital records spanning the bedside to the research clinic. The delivery of healthcare has evolved from the confines of brick and mortar to cloud-based platforms that could only be dreamed of a few years ago.

    Full story

  • The Practical Guide to the ISO 13485:2016 Practical Guide

    5 December, 2017 by Michelle Lott, Principal and Founder, Lean RAQA Systems

    Manufacturers everywhere have been waiting a year and a half for additional guidance on the requirements of ISO 13485:2016, hoping September’s release of the "ISO 13485:2016 – A Practical Guide" (hereafter known as the “Practical Guide” or “Guide”) would bring the “practical” guidance promised.

    Full story