On 13 March 2024, ISPE concluded the 2024 Aseptic Conference with a regulatory panel question and answer session. Attendees were invited to submit questions to representatives from the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Regierungspraesidium Tübingen (RP Tübingen), World Health Organization (WHO), Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and...
The pharmaceutical industry stands at the precipice of a revolution as emerging digital technologies provide new opportunities to boost productivity through continuous process improvements. The Pharma 4.0™ framework, an adaptation of the broader Industry 4.0 movement, aims to transform how drugs are produced and delivered.
With the approval of the first gene edited therapeutic in 2023, production of gene edited therapies is accelerating, introducing tough decisions for manufacturing development. Gene editing therapy production is complex, often involving multi-modality manufacturing operations in one facility to produce a single therapeutic. This article considers whether retrofitting an aging monoclonal...
Implementing advanced automation technologies is a strategic move that can amplify the positive outcomes of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. By leveraging ESG initiatives, pharmaceutical companies can enhance their competitive edge and contribute positively to global sustainability efforts.
Welds used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing must meet critical criteria to maintain a defined level of purity and bioburden control. One highly debated area of concern is the level of discoloration allowable on the product contact surfaces in the welded condition and secondary finishing methods. This article addresses the studies commissioned by the American Society for Mechanical Engineers...
On 25 August 2023, the long-awaited revision to Annex 1 became effective, introducing significant regulatory changes, including the requirement of a documented contamination control strategy (CCS). During a workshop at the 2023 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, 11 teams of attendees were presented with a risk-based methodology to develop and evaluate CCS elements focused on extrinsic...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is used by pharmaceutical and biotech companies, providing support from drug discovery through manufacturing. The nature of AI and concerns of bias, privacy, transparency, and security in a regulated industry necessitate a governance framework to ensure concerns are controlled using “guardrails.” These guardrails ensure the quality, privacy, and security of data...
The expectations for room differential pressures to maintain air quality in pharmaceutical facility design are consistent and well defined from a regulatory perspective. However, there is no common approach to the design, monitoring, or alarming of area differential pressures. This article explores differential pressure concerns in aseptic manufacturing, or cleanroom classes B, C, and D.
Growing up on a farm, Allen Koester thought he would design farm equipment after earning his degree in mechanical engineering.
Rod Freeman started his career in the pharma-ceutical industry as an analytical chemist.
Cell and gene therapy (C>) products represent a significant step forward in patient treatment and often offer unique patient benefits. However, product developers face significant hurdles within the regulatory landscape. The tools laid out in the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q12 guideline: “Technical and...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advocates for the integration of quality by design (QbD) principles throughout the pharmaceutical product development landscape, aiming to elevate both process understanding and product quality. Key challenges to the process control strategy include navigating time- and resource-intensive processes. One solution is digital shadow technology which, when...
In the dynamic and highly regulated world of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, maintaining and ensuring quality is a critical success factor. An effective quality risk management (QRM) system is a key component in the overall quality management infrastructure of biopharmaceutical organizations. It offers a structured, scientific, and risk-based approach to decision-making, addressing potential...
Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and cell and gene therapies (C>s) represent a promising medical product class that employs gene therapy, cell therapy, or tissue engineering to address various diseases and injuries. One critical aspect of ATMP and C> manufacturing is using cell culture media. With thousands of ATMPs and C>s in clinical trial phases, the role of...
Antibody engineering has transformed the development of therapeutic antibodies, enabling the creation of specific and effective treatments for a range of diseases. These antibody-based therapeutics are advancing in clinical development at a rapid rate and are being approved in record numbers. Currently, more than 100 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been approved for the treatment of various...
Although traditional tank farm systems have long been the cornerstone of buffer preparation, they face challenges that have grown with the expansion of processing scale in the industry.
With the Chinese government initiating drug regulatory reform in 2015 and China joining the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) in 2017, a significant number of measures have been implemented by the government. The aim is to make fundamental changes to China’s drug regulatory administration system so it can facilitate pharmaceutical development and better meet patient needs in the...
Digital display labels (DDLs) offer an alternative solution to eliminate manual relabeling in the clinical supply chain, optimizing label content updates through a simple, system-controlled approach while providing new, uncharted opportunities. With increased efficiency in making regulatory-compliant changes and enhanced flexibility in the clinical supply chain, DDL technology has the...
Due to the growing digitalization of the industry, we are highly dependent on information technology (IT) systems and data. The basic ability to execute our pharmaceutical business and decision-making processes relies on the permanent availability of these IT systems and data to ensure compliance and efficiency of our business operations. But numerous factors—including criminal activities,...
IT infrastructure has traditionally been provisioned using a combination of scripts and manual processes. This manual approach was slow and introduced the risk of human error, resulting in inconsistency between environments or even leaving the infrastructure in an unqualified state. In this article, we investigate some fundamental advantages of using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for...
This article provides a brief introduction into the standards and regulations for medical devices. It compares the ISPE GAMP® 5 Guide: A Risk-Based Approach to Compliant GxP Computerized Systems (Second Edition) and applicable ISPE GAMP Good Practice Guides against the relevant regulations and standards for the development of software for medical devices and demonstrates GAMP® 5 Second...
Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are one of the most promising developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in recent decades. Although there is a great promise to treat and even cure many diseases with these products, there are also unique challenges, especially with their supply chains.
Facility design decisions made early in conceptual design can have a significant impact on the cost of goods sold (COGS) in the manufacture of autologous and allogeneic cell therapy products. Understanding the impact of a COGS analysis is an important aspect of the early-phase design process.
Live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) have the potential to treat a wide range of ailments. However, these living microorganisms are difficult to produce due to evolving government regulations and limited GMP manufacturing experience. New facility designs and more specific process guidance could help overcome these challenges. This article explores the nuances of facility design and regulatory...
Cell and gene therapy (C>) products comprise a rapidly growing field of innovative medicines that hold the promise to treat and, in some cases, cure diseases that are otherwise untreatable. In this article, we provide points to consider when evaluating the comparability of C> when changes are made in their manufacturing processes.
Faced with global competition and shrinking margins, (bio)pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide are urged to increase production efficiency by making better use of time and resources. This is in addition to addressing the unique challenges faced by pharmaceutical manufacturers such as a strictly regulated environment, heterogeneous equipment suppliers, and long adaptation times....
This Concept Paper proves that a standard model within OPC UA Alarms and Conditions (OPC UA Part 9) can be leveraged to realize Plug & Produce for exchanging pharmaceutical alarms and audit trails between OT manufacturing equipment and Orchestration Platforms or IT Services like EBR or Historian.
This Concept Paper proves a laboratory device integration utilizing the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) metamodel (agnostic to the underlying technology and data structure).
ISPE Women in Pharma®’s dedication to diversity, equity, and Inclusion isn't just about aspirations: it’s about action. Mentor ISPE, launched in 2023 by members for members, is a testament to this commitment. Over the past two years, more than 700 professionals from around the world have joined ISPE on this journey, and as Mentor ISPE approaches its third year, the team invites ISPE...
The 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo is the pharmaceutical industry’s gateway to discovering the latest trends, technologies, and best practices shaping the future of pharmaceutical engineering. This year, 13-16 October in Orlando, Florida, USA, ISPE has curated a diverse...
Miriam Kremer-van der Kamp is the Business Developer at VILS Switzerland GmbH and an active ISPE member with the ISPE Germany/Austria/Switzerland (DACH) Affiliate, ISPE Women in Pharma, and ISPE Emerging Leaders. In this interview, conducted by Edyna Miguez, Membership Growth Manager at ISPE, Kremer-van der Kamp weighs in on why she joined ISPE, the benefits she’s experienced thus far, and...
What do the EU GMP Annex 1 and the ISPE Baseline Guide Volume 8: Pharma 4.0™ (First Edition) have to do with each other?
At the 2024 ISPE Biotechnology Conference, held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in June, Sharmista Chatterjee, PhD, director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (US FDA) Division of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Assessment III, Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ), Center...
The regulation of drug shortage prevention has rapidly changed over the past several years due to large-scale, highly visible events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, and geopolitical issues. Efforts to effectively address the complex and multifaceted issues contributing to drug shortages require close technical collaboration and clear communication between the pharmaceutical...
As the global pharmaceutical industry continues to evolve, staying ahead of the curve is more crucial than ever. The 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, set to take place from 13 - 16 October in Orlando, Florida, USA and virtually is the opportunity to connect, collaborate, and lead in this dynamic landscape. This year’s event promises to be the most impactful yet, offering an unparalleled...
As the pharmaceutical landscape rapidly evolves, staying informed and connected with industry leaders is more crucial than ever. The 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, 13-16 October in Orlando, Florida, USA and virtually offers a unique platform to gain insights, enhance your professional development, and network with the brightest minds in the field. This event is designed to empower...
Pharmaceutical Engineering® (PE) is delighted to announce the finalists for the 2023 Roger F. Sherwood Article of the Year Award. The articles were selected by judges from 39 feature and technical articles published in PE during calendar year 2023 (Volume 43).
In 2011, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced the revised “Guidance for Industry: Process Validation: General Principles and Practices.”1 The document incorporated principles from...
We are excited about the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida! A special thank you to the sponsors and planning committee for the Hackathon. We appreciate your commitment to ensuring that recent graduates and college students will benefit from this challenging and...
In the dynamic realm of regulatory affairs, a significant transformation is unfolding—a movement that empowers women to assume pivotal roles in decision-making, policy formulation, and leadership.
I hope everyone had the opportunity to enjoy the summer. The ISPE International Board of Directors and ISPE staff have kept busy through the summer months, launching two new Communities of Practice: Sustainability and Artificial Intelligence.
Computer software assurance (CSA) has been discussed widely in industry over the past five years. While the principles are well understood and welcomed, until now some of the practical detail on how exactly to implement CSA into an organization has been missing.
Cell and gene therapy (C>) products address various diseases at the cellular or genetic level, offer innovative treatment approaches, and represent a significant advancement in the field of medicine. However, developers of C> products face unique challenges due to their complexity, such as establishing assays that show a clear link between potency, mechanism of action (MoA), and...
After completing her doctoral degree at Oklahoma State University, Sarah Pope Miksinski received a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. While working there, she realized that research was not the best career path for her.
Anil Mathai first heard about ISPE 30 years ago. “I attended Drexel University, where you are required to complete three cooperative education jobs. One of mine was for Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Inc. in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. While I was there, I learned about validation and decided that I wanted to be in pharmaceuticals as a chemical engineer.”
In 2023, ISPE launched an expansive and significant initiative, Enabling Global Pharmaceutical Innovation: Delivering for Patients, to address the barriers to technological innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. The first activity of the initiative was to conduct a three-part survey of ISPE members to understand the circumstances and confirm the sources that create barriers to...
In each issue of Pharmaceutical Engineering®, we introduce a member of the ISPE staff who provides ISPE members with key information and services. Meet Wendy McGhee, Health Authority Outreach Manager in the Regulatory Operations group.
Drug delivery devices have become an essential component for many modern medical therapies, and it’s vital that they function as intended. However, the reality of marketed products shows that this is not always achieved because drug-device combination products are becoming increasingly complex, with an increasing number of potential failure modes. Significant challenges for engineers include...
ISPE’s regulatory initiatives and programs bring visibility and solutions to significant regulatory and quality challenges faced by the industry, facilitate the flow of information between ISPE members and global health authorities to find solutions, and promote interaction between regulatory bodies in the interests of harmonization.
Pharma Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has been awarded the 2024 ISPE FOYA Category Winner for Social Impact. This recognition highlights their exceptional work on the UK4 project, a biological drug substance manufacturing facility designed and built under the...
The 2025 Facilities of the Future Conference will explore innovations in facility design and delivery, emerging trends in technologies, manufacturing, and support areas such as laboratories and warehousing. Also included are the ways technology and digital...
In celebration of International Women’s Month, ISPE Philippines Affiliate hosted an evening of networking dubbed Women in Pharma® Soiree – An Evening of Celebration and Conversation, held 22 March 2024 at the Westgate Filinvest City. The dinner and networking event was organized by the ISPE Philippines Affiliate Women in Pharma® core team led by its Chair, Jayvee Lalusis, MD. The event aligned...
The unstoppable progress in technology and scientific knowledge is reshaping our industry. It is delivering novel treatments for patients and digitized monitoring tools for healthcare professionals; improved operational efficiency, less waste, and resource conservation for industry; and greater connectivity for risk-based regulation.
Real-time process monitoring involves integrating physical sensors into production processes to acquire sampling methods. This approach is crucial for both the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries due to the complexity and sensitivity of synthetic and biological products. Implementing real-time monitoring ensures product quality, improved throughput, safety, and compliance by...
Unlock the latest insights and trends in validation practices with the 2024 State of Validation report. Authored by life sciences industry expert and Harvard alumnus Jonathan Kay, the State of Validation comprises a broad quantitative and qualitative primary market research study, conducted directly with validation professionals worldwide.
Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) face unique challenges in managing regulatory requirements and getting to market. This eBook, written by CDMO and Audit expert Joe Azzarella, demonstrates why digital validation seems purpose-built for CDMOs.
Nowadays, integrating data and digital information, in general, has emerged as a topmost concern for numerous industries, and the Life Sciences sector is no exception. With these, the new challenges and opportunities emerging result in the necessity of continuous adaptation and innovation, particularly in the regulatory field.
In healthcare and pharmaceutical settings, alcohol refers to two water-soluable chemical compounds, ethyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol, that can be used as antimicrobial agents. Isopropyl alcohol is widely used as a sanitizing agent in pharmaceutical companies. It is used to avoid the risk of cross-contamination by microorganisms. Alcohols have also been used as hard surface (nonskin)...
Whether networking at events or collaborating through our Communities of Practice, the value of an ISPE membership is in the connections made between pharmaceutical industry professionals and Regulators to collaborate on solutions to common goals and challenges.
Are you a subject-matter expert in the global pharmaceutical industry? Are you brimming with knowledge about the latest technical developments or regulatory initiatives? Have you found an innovative solution to a real-world challenge?
Contribute your knowledge and experience to the always-evolving pharmaceutical industry!
Do you know someone whose profile or work should be featured in Pharmaceutical Engineering? Contact ISPE Publications Department.
