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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Worst-Case Process Condition
A condition or set of conditions encompassing upper and/or lower processing limits and circumstances, within standard operating procedures, which pose the greatest chance of product or process failure when compared to ideal conditions (such conditions do not necessarily induce product or process failure). (TR29)

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Worst Case Soil
A soil that is the most difficult to clean from production equipment based on knowledge generated from laboratory studies, scientific properties, and/or production experience. (TR29)

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Soil
The chemical or microbiological materials left on process equipment after completion of process manufacturing, but before initiation of the cleaning process. (TR29)

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Recovery Study
A laboratory study combining the sampling method and analytical method to determine the quantitative recovery of a specific residue for a defined surface. (TR29) A laboratory study combining the sampling method and analytical method to determine the quantitative recovery of a specific residue for a defined surface. (TR49)

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Product Changeover
Procedural steps taken for switching from the manufacturing of one product to another product. (TR29)

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Mock Soiling
A process of soiling the equipment for a cleaning validation protocol in which soil is applied to the equipment surfaces to simulate the condition of the soil on those surfaces following typical product manufacturing. (TR29)

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Normal Dose
The therapeutic dose of a product as given on the approved product labeling. (TR29) (TR49)

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Mock Soil
A soil which is used in place of the manufactured product during a cleaning validation protocol (also called a “surrogate” soil). (TR29)

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Limit
A value for a residue above which a cleaning process would not be acceptable. (TR29) A value for a residue above which a cleaning validation protocol would fail. (TR49)

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Grouping Strategy
A strategy for establishing similar cleaning processes, usually based on similar products or similar equipment, and to validate the cleaning process based primarily on validation data for a representative of the group. (TR29) (TR49)

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Highly Hazardous Drug Active
A drug active that can cause serious adverse effects at typical doses. Those adverse effects are generally not related to the main therapeutic activity of the drug, and includes effects such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, genotoxicity, reproductive hazards, allergenicity, and cytotoxicity. (TR29)

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Free Drained Equipment
No visible water pool in the equipment or line when viewed under appropriate lighting conditions (but may contain water droplets). (TR29)

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Dedicated Equipment
Equipment used exclusively for the manufacture of only one drug product, bulk drug substance, or intermediate. (TR29)

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Dirty Hold Time
The time from the end of product manufacturing until the beginning of the cleaning process (also called “soiled hold time”). (TR29)

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Coupon
A small, generally flat portion of a defined material of construction (such as stainless steel or PTFE) and of a defined surface finish, typically used for laboratory cleaning evaluations and/or for laboratory sampling recovery studies. (TR29) (TR49)

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Cleaning Validation
Documented evidence with a high degree of assurance that a cleaning process will result in products meeting their predetermined quality attributes throughout its life cycle. (TR29)(TR49)

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Cleaning Verification
A one-time sampling and testing to ensure that specified equipment has been properly cleaned following a specific cleaning event. (TR29) (TR49)

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Clean
Having product residues, process residues, and environmental contaminants removed to an acceptable level. (TR29) (TR49) The implementation of procedures to render an area, piece of equipment, system, or object free of adulterants and contaminants. (TR 70)

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Blank
Analytical sample taken to establish background value for the analytical measurement which may be subtracted from an experimental value to determine the “true” value. (TR29) (TR49)

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Analyte
Substance (usually a residue) for which an analysis is being performed. (TR29) (TR49) (TR70) A specific chemical moiety being measured, which can be intact drug, biomolecule or its derivative, impurity, and/or excipients in a drug product. [Synonym: measurand] (TR57)

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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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Acceptance Limit
The maximum amount of residue allowed in a product, in an analytical sample, or as an amount per surface area. (TR29)

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Acceptance Criteria
Numerical limits, ranges, or other suitable measures for acceptance of test results. (TR 14) (TR 29) (TR 38) (TR 64) Numerical limits, ranges, or other suitable measures for acceptance of test results. Exceeding the acceptable range for a critical parameter during subsequent validation studies may result in questionable product quality that would require initiation of an investigation. Exceeding the operating range should be documented and explained in the validation report and evaluated for validation study impact. (TR 42) The pre-defined specifications, standards or ranges that must be met under stated test conditions. (TR 48) Numerical limits, ranges, or other suitable measures for acceptance of the results of analytical method validation that is satisfied to determine suitability of test method performance.(TR 57) (TR 69) (TR 72) (TR 74) The criteria that a system or component must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user or other authorized entity. (TR 54-5) Numerical limits, ranges, or other suitable measures for acceptance of the results of analytical procedures which the drug substance or drug product or materials at other stages of their manufacture should meet (16). Exceeding the acceptable range for a critical parameter during subsequent validation studies may result in questionable product quality that would require initiation of an investigation and possible batch rejection. (TR60)

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Acceptable Daily Intake
An amount of a substance consumed on a daily basis that is considered at a safe level. (TR29) An amount of a substance administered or consumed on a daily basis that is considered a safe level. (TR49)

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Acceptable Daily Exposure
A dose that is unlikely to cause an adverse effect if an individual is exposed, by any route, at or below this dose every day for a lifetime. (TR29)

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