PDA Technical Glossary

PDA Technical Reports are highly valued membership benefits because they offer expert guidance and opinions on important scientific and regulatory topics and are used as essential references by industry and regulatory authorities around the world. These reports include terms which explain the material and enhance the reader’s understanding.

The database presented here includes the glossary terms from all current technical reports. The database is searchable by keyword, topic, or by technical report. Each definition provided includes a link to the source technical report within the  PDA Technical Report Portal.

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Preventative Action
Action to eliminate the cause of a potential non-conformity or other undesirable potential situation. NOTE: Preventative action is taken to prevent occurrence whereas corrective action is taken to prevent recurrence. (TR54)

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Trend
A statistical term referring to the direction or rate of change of a variable(s) (ICH Q9). (TR54) (TR54-2)

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Stakeholder(s)
Any individual, group or organization that can affect, be affected by or perceive itself to be affected by a risk. Decision makers might also be stakeholders. For the purposes of this guideline, the primary stakeholders are the patient, health-care professional, regulatory authority, and industry (ICH Q9). (TR54) (TR54-2) Any individual, group, or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be af­fected by a risk. Decision makers might also be stakeholders. (TR54-5)

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Process Qualification
Documented verification that a system is capable of consistently performing or controlling the activities of the processes it is required to perform or control, according to written and preapproved specifications, while operating in its specified operating environment. (TR3) Confirming that the manufacturing process as designed is capable of reproducible commercial manufacturing. (TR54) (TR60) (TR54-5)

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Risk Management
The systematic application of quality management policies, procedures and practices to the tasks of assessing, controlling, communicating and reviewing risk. (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR55) (TR67) (TR54-5)

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Risk Management Report
Report that summarizes the outcomes of the QRM process. (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-5)

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Risk Acceptance
The decision to accept risk (ISO Guide 73). (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR58)

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Residual Risk
Risk remaining after risk control measures have been taken. (TR44) (TR58) Risk remaining after risk control measures have been implemented (derived from ISO 14971:2007). (TR54) (TR54-2) Risk remaining after risk control measures has been implemented. (TR54-5)

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Risk
The combination of the probability of occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm.(TR30) (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-4) (TR58) (TR67) (TR68) (TR88)

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Risk Analysis
The estimation of the risk associated with the identified hazards. (TR13) (TR30) (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR58) (TR54-5)

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Risk Assessment
A systematic process of organizing information to support a risk decision to be made within a risk management process. It consists of identification of hazards and the analysis and evaluation of risk associated with exposure to those hazards. (TR30) (TR44) (TR54) (TR58) (TR55) (TR67) (TR57-2) (TR54-5) (TR88)

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Senior Management
Person(s) who direct and control a company or site at the highest levels with the authority and responsibility to mobilize resources within the company or site (TR54) (TR54-2)

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Severity (S)
A measure of the possible consequences of a hazard. (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-3)(TR54-4) (TR54-5)

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Process Validation
The documented evidence that the process, operated within established parameters, can perform effectively and reproducibly to produce an intermediate or API (drug substance) meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. (TR14) (TR42) Establishing documented evidence which provides a high degree of assurance that a specific process will consistently produce a product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. (TR44) The collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality products. (TR54) (TR57) (TR74) The collection and evaluation of data, from the pro­cess design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality product. The documented evidence that the process, op­erated within established parameters, can per­form effectively and reproducibly to produce a medicinal product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes, as described in EMA, EU GMP, Part 1, Annex 15, drug/me­dicinal product. (TR56) EMA: The documented evidence that the process, op­erated within established parameters, can per­form effectively and reproducibly to produce a medicinal product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. US FDA: The collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial pro­duction, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently deliver­ing quality products. (TR60-2) The documented evidence that the process, operated within established parameters, can perform effectively and reproducibly to produce an intermediate or drug substance meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes (1, 17). (TR60-3)

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Product Lifecycle
All phases in the life of a product from the initial development through marketing until the product’s discontinuation (ICH Q8[R2]. (TR54) (TR54-5)

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Knowledge Management
Systematic approach to acquiring, analyzing, storing, and disseminating information related to products, manufacturing processes and components (ICH Q10). (TR54) (TR68) (TR54-5)

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Intended Use/Intended Purpose
Use for which a product, process or service is intended according to the specifications, instructions and information provided by the manufacturer. (TR54)

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Lifecycle
All phases in the life of a product from the initial development through marketing until the product’s discontinuation. (TR54) (TR60) All phases in the life of a product, from the initial development through marketing until the prod­uct is discontinued. (TR60-2)

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Hazard
The potential source of harm. (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR58) (TR61)

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Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
A systematic, proactive, and preventative tool for assuring product quality, reliability, and safety (TR54-3) (TR54) A management system in which potential hazards are addressed through the identification and control of key risk factors (critical control points) of the biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product. (TR55)

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Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP)
A structured, systematic and qualitative technique for examination of a planned or existing process or operation in order to identify and evaluate problems that may represent risks to personnel or equipment, or prevent efficient operation. (TR54)

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Harm
Damage to health, including damage occurring from loss of product quality or availability. (TR44) (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-4) (TR68)

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Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
A deductive technique used to analyze the causes of faults (defects). The technique visually models how logical relationships between failures, human errors, and external events can combine to cause specific faults. (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-3) (TR54-5)

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Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
A method of assessing and evaluating risk. (TR44) A systematic method for identifying, analyzing, prioritizing and documenting potential failure modes, their effects on system, product and process performance, and the possible causes of failure in order to prevent defects from occurring. (TR54) (TR54-2) (TR54-3) (TR54-4) (TR74) (TR54-5) A tool for analyzing processes or systems to evaluate all operating steps in order to identify and assess the risk associated with any potential failures. (TR65) An analytical technique that results in a rankordered list of concerns to take action on. (TR72)

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Event Tree Analysis (ETA)
A systematic technique that employs forward logic to construct a graphical representation of consequences from an initiating event. (TR54)

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Enabler
A tool or process which provides the means to achieve an objective (ICH Q10). (TR54)

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Decision Maker(s)
Person(s) with the competence and authority to make appropriate and timely quality risk management decisions.(TR54) (TR54-2)

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Critical Process Parameter (CPP) or Critical Operational Parameter
A process parameter whose variability has an impact on a critical quality attribute and therefore should be monitored or controlled to ensure the process produces the desired quality. (TR54) (TR54-4) (TR56) (TR54-5) (TR60-2) (TR5 6) (TR 81) An input process parameter that should be controlled within a meaningful operating range to ensure that drug substance critical quality attributes meet their specifications. Although parameters with wide operating ranges may also impact product quality, they are generally easily controlled and not as likely to result in excursions that impact quality and are therefore low risk of occurrence. (TR60-3)

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Control Strategy
A planned set of controls, derived from current product and process understanding, which ensures process performance and product quality. The controls can include parameters and attributes related to drug substance and drug product materials and components, facility and equipment operating conditions, in-process controls, finished product specifications, and the associated methods and frequency of monitoring and control. (TR 54) (TR 60) (TR 54-5) (TR56)

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Criticality
A classification of an item (e.g., process, equipment, parameter) that expresses the significance given to the impact of that item, and should therefore be controlled or monitored to ensure product quality, safety or efficacy. (TR54) A classification of an item (e.g., product, process, equipment, parameter) that expresses the significance given to the impact of that item, and should therefore be controlled or monitored to ensure product quality, safety or efficacy. (TR68)

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Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs)
Practices and systems that are required to be followed for pharmaceutical manufacturing to ensure that the products produced meet specific requirements for identity, strength, quality, and purity. (TR54) Refers to the Current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations enforced by the FDA and as described in the ICH guidance (ICH Q7 and WHO GMP, for API manufacturing). Current GMP provides for systems that assure proper design, monitoring, and control of manufactur­ing processes and facilities. Adherence to cGMP regulations assures the identity, strength, quality, and purity of drug products by requiring that manufacturers of medications adequately control manufacturing operations. (TR56)

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Commissioning
A well planned, documented and managed engineering approach to the start-up and transfer of facilities, systems and equipment to the end-user that results in a safe and functional environment that meets established design and user requirement specifications. Commissioning precedes Qualification and includes three phases: 1. Inspection, testing, and regulation 2. Adjustment and setting of work 3. Functional testing (TR 3) A prescribed number of activities designed to take equipment and systems from a static, substantially complete state to an operable state. (TR 48) A well planned, documented, managed engineering approach to the start-up and turnover of facilities, systems, and equipment to the end-user, that results in a safe and functional environment that meets established design requirements and stakeholder expectations.(TR 54) (TR 54-5)

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