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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Preparation Site
The location where extemporaneous preparations of Clinical Trial Materials (CTM) are made. (TR63)

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Preparation Record
An approved document that gives the detailed instructions for preparation of the Clinical Trial Materials (CTM). (TR63)

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Practice of Pharmacy
The interpretation, evaluation and implementation of medical orders which may include the administering, preparing, compounding, preserving, and/or the dispensing of drugs, medicines and therapeutic devices on the basis of prescriptions, clinical protocol or other legal authority. Note: Many localities have broader definitions describing very specific activities and responsibilities that further defines the practice of pharmacy. (TR63)

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Shelf Life (also referred to as expiration dating period)
The time period during which a drug product is expected to remain within the approved shelf life specification, provided that it is stored under the conditions defined on the container label. (TR63)

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Raw Materials
Starting materials, reagents, and solvents used in the production of intermediates or APIs/drug substance. (TR54-4) (TR83)

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Pharmacist in Charge
A licensed pharmacist who is assigned the responsibility and authority for establishing and implementing policies and procedures for all operations of the pharmacy and to ensure the pharmacy operations and practices comply with all requirements of national and local pharmacy and drug laws, rules, and regulations. (TR63)

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Manufacturing
The production, packing, testing, storage, release and distribution of drugs or medical devices for use in humans or animals where the manufacturing is indented to produce doses, typically in significant numbers, for an undefined population of future patients or clinical trial subjects. (TR63) All operations including purchasing and receipt of materials to production, packaging, labelling, quality control, release, storage, distribution of components and the related controls. (TR 76)

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Key Attributes
A subset of the characteristics of the drug which are determined to be most important to quality. (TR63)

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Investigator
A clinician scientist taking part in a clinical trial having direct and immediate clinical responsibility for the subject or patient and their treatment with the clinical trial material. (TR63)

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Extemporaneous Preparation (EP)
A type of compounding whereby a drug or combination of drugs and/or excipients is prepared under the supervision of a pharmacist to create a customized medication dosage form in accordance with a clinical protocol. (TR63)

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Clinical Trial Material (CTM)
A drug or combination of drugs and/or excipients that are produced with the intent that it be used in a clinical trial, or that is released or otherwise authorized for use in such. This could, subject to appropriate regulatory approval, be an experimental medicine, a product with marketing authorization used in a clinical trial within or beyond the approved indication and/or any placebo articles produced for use in a clinical trial. (TR63)

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Clinical Protocol
A document, together with any amendments to it, that describes the objectives, design, methodology, statistical considerations, and organization of a clinical trial. (TR63)

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Compounding
A process in which a bulk drug substance is combined with one or more excipients and/or another bulk drug substance to produce a drug product. (TR22) A process wherein bulk drug substance is combined with one or more excipients and/or another bulk drug substance to produce a drug product. (TR62) The preparation, mixing, assembling, altering, packaging, and labeling of a drug, drug-delivery device, or device in accordance with a licensed practitioner’s prescription, medication order, or initiative based on the practitioner/patient/pharmacist/compounder relationship in the course of professional practice. Compounding includes the following: • Preparation of drug dosage forms for both human and animal patients • Preparation of drugs or devices in anticipation of prescription drug orders based on routine, regularly observed prescribing patterns • Reconstitution or manipulation of commercial products that may require the addition of one or more ingredients • Preparation of drugs or devices for the purposes of, or as an incident to, research (clinical or academic), teaching, or chemical analysis • Preparation of drugs and devices for prescriber’s office use where permitted by federal and state law. (TR63)

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Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) or (Drug substance)
Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used in the manufacture of a drug (medicinal) product and when used in the production of a drug, becomes an active ingredient of the drug product (also called “drug substance”). (TR29) Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used in the manufacture of a drug (medicinal) product and that, when used in the production of a drug, becomes an active ingredient in the drug product. Such substances are intended to furnish pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure and function of the body. (TR54-3) Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used in the compounding of a drug preparation, thereby becoming the active ingredient in that preparation and furnishing pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans and animals or affecting the structure and function of the body. (TR63)

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Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)
Synonym: Drug Substance. (TR14) (TR42) A substance or mixture of substances that, when delivered in a finished drug product, directly affects the structure or function of the body. (TR54-4) Any substance or mixture of substance intended to be used in the manufacture of a drug (medicinal) product and that, when used in the production of a drug, becomes an active ingredient of the drug product. Such substances are intended to furnish pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure and function of the body. Note: also known as Drug Substance. (TR29) (TR56) (TR41) (TR54-3) (TR60) Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used in the compounding of a drug preparation, thereby becoming the active ingredient in that preparation and furnishing pharmacological activity o other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans and animals or affecting the structure and function of the body. (TR63) (TR70) Any substance or mixture of substances intended to be used in the manufacture of a drug product, and that when used in the production of a drug, becomes an active ingredient in the drug product. Such substances are intended to furnish pharmacological activity or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease, or to affect the structure and function of the body. (TR74)

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