
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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- TR 73: Prefilled Syringe User Requirements for Biotech Applications (19)
- TR 66: Single-Use Systems (5)
- TR 54-4: QRM: Biotech Drug Substance (2)
- TR 62: Manual Aseptic Processes (2)
- TR 63: Clinical Trials Material Preparation (2)
- TR 68: Drug Shortage Management (2)
- TR 14: Validation: Protein Purification Chromatography (2)
- TR 15: Validation: TFF in Biopharmaceuticals (2)
- TR 26: Sterilizing Filtration of Liquids (2)
- TR 77: The Manufacture of Sterile Pharmaceutical Products Using Blow-Fill-Seal Technology (2)
- TR 54: QRM:Manufacturing Operations (1)
- TR 22: Aseptic Process Simulation (1)
- TR 84: Integrating Data Integrity Requirements into Manufacturing & Packaging Operations (1)
- TR 85: Enhanced Test Methods - Visible Particle Detection/Enumeration Closures/Containers (1)
- TR 80: Data Integrity Management System for Pharmaceutical Laboratories (1)
- TR 28: Process Simulation for Bulk API (1)
- TR 41: Virus Filtration (1)
- TR 45: Depth Filtration (1)
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- Biotechnology (13)
- Packaging Science (13)
- Quality Risk Management/QRM (13)
- GMP/Good Manufacturing Processes/cGMP (12)
- Combination Products (11)
- Validation (9)
- Filtration (4)
- Sterile Processing (4)
- Technology Transfer (4)
- Lyophilization (2)
- Microbiology (2)
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Closed System
An isolated system that has no interaction with its external environment, preventing contamination and release of the material contained.(TR28) (TR 66)
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Component, Primary
Element of the assembled prefilled syringe (needle, plunger stopper and tip closure, or adhesive) directly in contact with the drug. (TR 73)
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Component, Secondary
Element of the assembled prefilled syringe (plunger rod, backstop, or safety system) that interacts with the primary components and provides functionality to the delivery system. (TR 73)
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Composite Membrane
A membrane consisting of multiple layers. (TR15)
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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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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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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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Elastomer
Thermoplastic material formulation (that may or may not contain rubber/natural latex) derived from elastic polymer; often used interchangeably with the term “rubber.” (TR73)
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Extractable
A chemical component that is removed from a material by application of an artificial or exaggerated force (e.g., solvent, temperature, time). The term extractable is often erroneously used to describe a leachable. (TR14) (TR15) (TR26) (TR41) (TR45) Chemical substances that can be extracted from components of material process fluid contact surfaces by exertion of an exaggerated force (e.g., organic solvent, extreme elevated temperature, ionic strength, pH, contact time, etc.) Extractables may represent most but not all of the potential leachables that may be seen in process fluids. (TR66) Extractables are organic and inorganic chemical entities that can be released from a pharmaceutical packaging/delivery system, packaging component, or packaging material of construction under laboratory conditions. (TR54-4) Organic or inorganic chemical entity that is forced out of container closure system materials and components under laboratory experimental conditions. (TR73)
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Formative Usability Evaluation
Observed actual or simulated use of early prototypes to help reliably identify product conceptspecific, use-related hazards that may have been missed by other methods. (TR73)
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Hold-Up Volume (Residual Volume, Nonexpellable Volume, Dead Volume)
Amount of fluid remaining in the syringe when the plunger has reached the end of travel within the barrel. (TR73)
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Human Factors
A science discipline that examines human psychological, social, physical, and biological characteristics to evaluate the design, operation, or use of products or systems for optimizing human performance, health, safety, and/or habitability. [Synonym: Ergonomics] (TR62)(TR80)
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In-Process Leachables
Chemicals substances that are leached, from product-contact or non-product-contact materials under typical process conditions and could be cleared or sufficiently diluted by downstream processes so as to be undetected as leachables in the final dosage. Alternate Terms: Transient Leachables, Migrant Leachable. (TR66)
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Leachable
A chemical component that migrates from a contact surface into a drug product or process fluid during storage or normal use conditions. The term leachable is often erroneously used to describe an extractable. (TR14) (TR26) Leachables are organic and inorganic chemical entities that migrate from a packaging/delivery system, packaging component, or packaging material of construction into an associated drug product under normal conditions of storage and use or during accelerated drug product stability studies. Leachables are typically a subset of extractables or are derived from extractables. (TR54-4) Chemical substances that are leached, from product-contact or non-product-contact materials, under typical process conditions and detected in final dosage. Leachables may be a subset of extractables, and can include their reaction or breakdown products. (TR66) Organic or inorganic chemical entity that migrates from pharmaceutical container closure system components into a drug product formulation. (TR73)
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Mandrel
Specialized filling needles on certain BFS machines which also act to form the container. (TR77)
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Needle (Cannula)
A thin, hollow, metal tube commonly used with a syringe to inject substances into the body. (TR73)
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Needle Shield (Needle Cover)
Rigid or flexible polymeric substance used to seal and protect the needle. (TR73)
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Needle-Safety Device
A safety feature or mechanism that effectively reduces the risk of an exposure incident (e.g., accidental needlestick). (TR73)
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Nest (Tub Nest)
Rigid plastic support placed into a tub to keep syringes upright with sufficient separation to allow for easy manipulation by manual or automated fill-line systems. (TR73)
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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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Plunger
The combined components of the plunger rod and plunger stopper. (TR73)
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Plunger Rod
Portion of the plunger assembly which provides a thumb pad for depressing the plunger and is attached to the plunger stopper inside the syringe barrel. (TR73)
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Plunger Stopper-Barrel Interface
Circumferential contact points between the ribs of the plunger stopper and the inner diameter of the syringe barrel. (TR73)
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Prefillable
Syringes and associated components considered as starting material for the filling and assembling process of a prefilled syringe. (TR73
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Prefilled
Syringe assembly after being filled with pharmaceutical product and being closed. (TR73)
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Prefilled Syringe
A syringe that has been prefilled to contain a specific dose of medication. (TR73)
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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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Ready-To-Use
A marketing term often used to describe the benefits of single-use technology or SUS. This designation has no regulatory or scientific basis supporting suitability for use and the end user is responsible to evaluate and determine if appropriate quality requirements are met for their application. (TR66)
Washed and sterilized components supplied in a package suitable for transfer into an aseptic processing area and used with sterile injectable products without further processing. (TR85)
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Steribag
Sealing bag made at least partly of steam-permeable material to wrap and seal containers for sterilization (e.g., tub-nest configurations). (TR73)
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Summative/Validation Testing
Evaluative testing providing evidence to show that representative users in the expected use conditions can perform all essential and critical tasks required for safe and effective use of the device. (TR73)