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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Continuous Improvement
Ongoing activities to evaluate and positively change products, processes, and the quality system to increase effectiveness. (TR88)

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Critical Process (CP)
A process that impacts a critical quality attribute of the intermediate, drug substance or drug product being manufactured and therefore should have established critical process parameters that can be monitored or controlled to ensure that the process produces the desired quality.

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Audit Trail Review Assessment (ATRA)
A tool that can be used to help determine what elements within the audit trail should be reviewed, and the frequency at which the review should take place for each part of the audit trail where a review is required.

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Process Performance Attribute (or Process Performance Parameter)
An output variable or outcome that cannot be directly controlled but is an indicator that the process performed as expected. (TR60-2)

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Chemistry Manufacturing and Controls (CMC)
The body of information that defines the technical development, manufacturing facility and support utilities; the process equipment and materials used in manufacturing; the manufacturing process itself; the personnel involved in manufacturing and qual­ity; the chemistry of the product; QC in process and release testing, specifications, and stability of the product; all of the controls, documentation, and training necessary to ensure that all of these listed ac­tivities are properly and effectively carried out. (TR56)

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Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Individuals with specific technical expertise such as engineers, quality experts, automation special­ists, scientists, etc. (TR54-5)

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Preliminary/Process Hazard Analysis (PHA)
A tool of analysis based on applying prior experience or knowledge of a hazard or failure to identify future hazards, hazardous situations and events that might cause harm, as well as to estimate their probability of occurrence for a given activity, facility, product or system. (TR54-5)

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Periodic Requalification
Re-execution of qualification studies performed on a periodic basis to verify that systems and pro­cesses remain able to produce a result that con­sistently meets predetermined acceptance criteria through execution of a lab or field study. (TR54-5)

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Manufacturing System Lifecycle
All phases in the life of a manufacturing system from the initial development until the manufac­turing system retirement, including specification design, fabrication, installation, commissioning, qualification, operation, maintenance, change, decommissioning and retirement. (TR54-5)

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Critical Aspect Design Elements (CADE)
Critical aspect design elements are components, instruments, and process controls that comprise the critical aspect (e.g., temperature feedback loop). Critical aspect design elements are tested in commissioning and qualification. (TR54-5)

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Animal-Derived Raw Materials (Primary)
Contains in the final raw material or uses in the manufacturing process of the final raw material, any raw material derived directly from bovine or other animal tissues, for example, bovine serum, porcine-derived trypsin, and animal-tissue-de­rived hydrolysates. (TR83)

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Semiautomated Inspection
Consists of machine-assisted handling and pre­sentation of filled containers to allow for human visual inspection. (TR79)

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Technically Unavoidable Particles (TUPs)
Particles that are visibly different from the bulk of the material when viewed with the naked eye within the container or against a suitable back­ground (e.g., size, shape, color, number, texture) and are inherent to the manufacturer’s process, product, or raw materials. The unintended pres­ence of a small quantity of particles, stemming from impurities of natural or synthetic ingre­dients, the manufacturing process, storage, or migration from packaging that is technically un­avoidable in good manufacturing practice, and do not pose a risk to patient safety. (TR78)

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Intrinsic Particles
Those particles that arise from sources related to the formulation, packaging, or assembly proces­ses. In each of these cases, the particle material (e.g., glass, stainless steel, rubber, or gasket ma­terial) could be identified as a known product-contact material. (TR78) A particle that comes from within the primary process. These are qualified product contact materials and are often associated with the primary packaging components. They are unplanned but not unexpected.(TR85)

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Zone of Protection/Machine Shroud
A system fitted to a BFS machine to direct a flow of HEPA-filtered air over the Critical Processing Zone of the machine. (TR77)

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Static (at rest)
BFS machine line with conveyor belts at rest but with air shower and room ventilation in operation, extruder (heated, not running) and mold carriage in standby. No operating personnel present. (TR77)

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Parison
The “tube” of polymer extruded by the BFS machine from which the containers are formed. (TR77)

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Mandrel
Specialized filling needles on certain BFS machines which also act to form the container. (TR77)

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Sampling Plan True AQL
The quality of product for which the percent of lots expected to be accepted (Pa) is 95.0. These values are found in Tables X-A-1 to X-R-1 in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4.(TR76)

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Lot or Batch
A specific quantity of material produced in a process or series of processes so that it is expected to be homogeneous within specified limits.(TR76)

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In-Process Observations
Observations or findings that are found during the processing of a product or products.(TR76)

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Container Closure Integrity (CCI)
The ability of a package to prevent product loss, to block microorganism ingress, and to limit entry of detrimental gases or other substances, thus ensuring that the product meets all necessary safety and quality standards.(TR76)

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Naturally Occurring Endotoxin (NOE)
Endotoxin prepared from Gram-negative bacteria produced under defined conditions and with minimal nonchemical processing, e.g., centrifugation and filtration.(TR82)

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Measured Values
Those values where activity is confirmed by interpolation from a reference standard curve.(TR82)

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Masking
A type of interference that may result in low endotoxin recovery.(TR82)

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Hybrid Approach (WHO)
The use of a computerized system in which there is a combination of original electronic records and paper records that comprise the total record set that should be reviewed and retained.(TR80)

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Corruption (Data) (FFIEC)
Errors in computer data that occur during writing, reading, storage, transmission, or processing, which introduce unintended changes to the original data.(TR80)

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True Copy (WHO)
A true copy is a copy of an original recording of data that has been verified and certified to confirm it is an exact and complete copy that preserves the entire content and meaning of the original record including, in the case of electronic data, all essential metadata and the original record format as appropriate.(TR80)(TR84)

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True Copy (FDA)
21 CFR 211.180(d) requires records to be retained "either as original records or true copies such as photocopies, microfilm, microfiche, or other accurate reproductions of the original records". Electronic copies can be used as true copies of paper or electronic records, provided the copies preserve the content and meaning of the original or raw data, which includes associated metadata and the static or dynamic nature of the original records.(TR80)(TR84)

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True Copy (MHRA)
A copy (irrespective of the type of media used) of the original record that has been verified (i.e., by a dated signature or by generation through a validated process) to have the same information, including data that describe the context, content, and structure as the original.(TR80)(TR84)

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Systems (in computer or related systems) (WHO)
A computerized system collectively controls the performance of one or more automated processes and/or functions. It includes computer hardware, software, peripheral devices, networks and documentation, e.g., manuals and standard operating procedures, as well as the personnel interfacing with the hardware and software, e.g., users and information technology support personnel.(TR80)

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Systems (in computer or related systems) (FDA, attributed to ANSI)
People, machines, and methods organized to accomplish a set of specific functions. Computer or related systems can refer to computer hardware, software, peripheral devices, networks, cloud infrastructure, operators, and associated documents(e.g., user manuals and standard operating procedures).(TR80)

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Static Record Format (WHO)
A static record format, such as a paper or pdf record, is one that is fixed and allows little or no interaction between the user and the record content (TR80)

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Static Record Format (MHRA)
A "fixed" record such as paper or pdf. (TR80)

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Static Record Format (FDA)
A fixed-data document such as a paper record or an electronic image.(TR80)

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Raw Data (MHRA)
The original record (data) which can be described as the first-capture of information, whether recorded on paper or electronically. Information that is originally captured in a dynamic state should remain available in that state.(TR80)

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Raw Data (FDA)
Any laboratory worksheets, records, memoranda, notes, or exact copies thereof that are the result of original observations and activities of a nonclinical laboratory study and are necessary for the reconstruction and evaluation of the report of that study. Raw data may include photographs, microfilm or microfiche copies, computer printouts, magnetic media, including dictated observations, and recorded data from automated instruments.(TR80)

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Metadata (WHO)
Metadata are data about data that provide the contextual information required to understand those data. These include structural and descriptive metadata. Such data describe the structure, data elements, interrelationships and other characteristics of data. They also permit data to be attributable to an individual.(TR80)

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Metadata (MHRA)
Metadata is data that describe the attributes of other data and provide context and meaning. Typically, these are data that describe the structure, data elements, inter-relationships and other characteristics of data. It also permits data to be attributable to an individual (or if automatically generated, to the original data source).(TR80)

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Metadata (FDA)
The contextual information required to understand data. A data value is by itself meaningless without additional information about the data. Metadata is often described as data about data. Metadata is structured information that describes, explains, or otherwise makes it easier to retrieve, use, or manage data.(TR80)

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Peak Intergration
Process used to by a chromatographic system to determine the peak area (based on height and width) and obtain the quantitation of the peak of interest. The measurement is based on the integral technique of splitting the peak into a large number of rectangles, which are then summed to provide an estimate of the total area under the peak. (TR80)

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CGMP Record (FDA)
When generated to satisfy a CGMP requirement, all data become a CGMP record. You must document, or save, the data at the time of performance to create a record in compliance with CGMP requirements, including, but not limited to, §§ 211.100(b) and 211.160(a). FDA expects processes to be designed so that quality data is created and maintained and cannot be modified. (TR80)

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Complete Data (FDA)
FDA requires complete data in laboratory records, which includes raw data, graphs, charts, and spectra from laboratory instruments and associated metadata. (§§ 211.194(a) and 212.60(g)(3) (2). A complete record of all data secured in the course of each test, including date and time the test was conducted and all graphs, charts, and spectra from laboratory instrumentation, properly identified to show the specific component, drug product container, closure, in-process material, or drug product, and lot tested. (TR80)

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Data (WHO)
Data means all original records and true copies of original records, including source data and metadata and all subsequent transformations and reports of this data, which are generated or recorded at the time of the GXP activity and allow full and complete reconstruction and evaluation of the GXP activity. Data should be accurately recorded by permanent means at the time of the activity. Data may be contained in paper records (such as worksheets and logbooks), electronic records and audit trails, photographs, microfilm or microfiche, audio- or video-files or any other media whereby information related to GXP activities is recorded.(TR80)

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Dynamic Record Format (FDA)
The record format allows interaction between the user and the record content.(TR80)

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Data Integrity (FDA)
Refers to the completeness, consistency, and accuracy of data. Complete, consistent, and accurate data should be attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original or a true copy, and accurate (ALCOA).(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Integrity (WHO)
The degree to which data are complete, consistent, accurate, trustworthy and reliable and that these characteristics of the data are maintained throughout the data life cycle. The data should be collected and maintained in a secure manner, such that they are attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original or a true copy and accurate. Assuring data integrity requires appropriate quality and risk management systems, including adherence to sound scientific principles and good documentation practices.(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Integrity (MHRA)
The degree to which data are complete, consistent, accurate, trustworthy, reliable and that these characteristics of the data are maintained throughout the data life cycle. The data should be collected and maintained in a secure manner, so that they are attributable, legible, contemporaneously recorded, original (or a true copy) and accurate. Assuring data integrity requires appropriate quality and risk management systems, including adherence to sound scientific principles and good documentation practices.(TR80) (TR84)

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Data Lifecycle (MHRA)
All phases in the life of the data (including raw data) from initial generation and recording through processing (including transformation or migration), use, data retention, archive/retrieval and destruction.(TR80) (TR84)

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Backup (MHRA)
A copy of current (editable) data, metadata and system configuration settings maintained for recovery including disaster recovery.(TR80)

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