PDA Technical Glossary

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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    Displaying results 1 - 50 of 143
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Active Systems
Systems with active temperature control (e.g., air/sea freight containers, refrigerated trucks/cars). (TR39) System with active temperature control. It makes use of electricity or fuel for the compressor to maintain temperature. Examples include refrigerated trucks, temperature-controlled ocean containers, and active ULDs. (TR58) Actively powered system that uses electricity or other fuel source to maintain a temperaturecontrolled environment inside an insulated enclosure under thermostatic regulation (e.g., cold room, refrigerator, temperature-controlled truck, refrigerated ocean or air container). (TR64) (TR72) (Synonym: Active Temperature Controlled System)
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Active Temperature Controlled System
Actively powered system that uses electricity or other fuel source to maintain a temperaturecontrolled environment inside an insulated enclosure under thermostatic regulation (e.g., cold room, refrigerator, temperature-controlled truck, refrigerated ocean or air container). (TR 72) (TR64)
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Active Unit Load Device (Active ULD)
A Unit Load Device (ULD) container used to consolidate cargo on aircraft that contains electrical or battery-powered temperature control systems for transporting temperature-sensitive materials; an RKN type is used in an FMEA example. (TR58) A unit load device with an active heating and/or cooling system that is typically used in air transportation, usually operated from externally supplied AC or DC power or from internal batteries. (TR64)
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Active Unit Load Device (ULD)
A Unit Load Device (ULD) container used to consolidate cargo on aircraft that contains electrical or battery-powered temperature control systems for transporting temperature-sensitive materials; an RKN type is used in an FMEA example. (TR58) A unit load device with an active heating and/or cooling system that is typically used in air transportation, usually operated from externally supplied AC or DC power or from internal batteries. (TR 64)
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Ambient Temperature
Analytical Method Transfer (AMT)
Documented process that qualifies a laboratory (receiving unit) to use an analytical test procedure that originates in another laboratory (the transferring unit, also known as the sending unit), thus ensuring that the receiving unit has the knowledge and ability to perform the transferred analytical procedure as intended. (TR57-2)
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Analytical Platform Technology (APT)
An analytical method that is used for multiple products and/or types of sample matrix without modification of the procedure. Similar to compendial methods, an APT method may not require full validation for each new product or sample type. (TR57)
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Ancillary Packaging Components/Systems
Additional means used in combination with the basic transportation unit to maintain the required temperature during transport. Examples include active systems and passive systems. (TR39)
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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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Archival (MHRA )
A designated secure area or facility (e.g., cabinet, room, building or computerised system) for the long-term retention of data and metadata for the purposes of verification of the process or activity.(TR80)
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Audit Trail (WHO)
The audit trail is a form of metadata that contains information associated with actions that relate to the creation, modification or deletion of GXP records. An audit trail provides for secure recording of life-cycle details such as creation, additions, deletions, or alterations of information in a record, either paper or electronic, without obscuring or overwriting the original record.(TR80)
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British Thermal Unit (BTU)
The amount of heat (measured in Joules) required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by 1ºF.(TR64)
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Cold Chain
A temperature- and time-controlled supply chain for products (e.g., refrigerated products typically have a temperature storage range of 2 °C to 8 °C). (TR58)
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Comparative Transfer
Transfer of a method that involves the analysis of a predetermined number of samples of the same lot by both the sending and the receiving unit. (TR 57-2)
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Condenser
Component that removes the heat absorbed by the refrigerant from the compressor and temperature- controlled area. (TR64)
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Controlled Environmental Space (CES)
Correlation Coefficient ( r )
A measure of covariation, the square root of the coefficient of determination. (TR57)
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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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Critical Control Point
A step at which control can be applied and that is essential to prevent or eliminate a pharmaceutical quality hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level. (TR54-4) (TR61)
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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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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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Critical Reagent
A component of the test method that may have a substantial impact on the consistency and reliability of method performance. Features of critical reagents include: 1. A reagent that requires qualification of each new batch prior to routine use in an analytical procedure, or 2. A material whose method performance characteristics may change over time, during handling, or from lot to lot. 3. An analytical reagent that may be purchased only from a single vendor. Reagent Examples: antibodies or enzymes that require titration prior to use, tissue culture treated plates when only one vendor’s plates give acceptable results for a bioassay, growth factors for bioassay cells, conjugated proteins that require custom preparations, or reference or system suitability standards. (TR57) Function related: assay reagents that have been shown through development and/or robustness studies to have the potential to generate measurable differences that can significantly affect assay performance, such as sensitivity, specificity, and precision. (TR57-2)
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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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Cycle Development
A series of activities performed for the purpose of defining or confirming the cycle parameters (e.g., time, temperature, pressure) necessary to ensure sanitization or sterilization. (TR61)
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Cycle Phases
A discrete series of sterilizer process steps (such as, heat-up, exposure and cool-down) performed sequentially that represent a complete sterilization cycle. (TR48)
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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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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 (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 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 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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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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Decommissioning
A planned and orderly removal of a facility, operation or system from use. (TR48) The process of retiring equipment/systems/facili­ties from production use. (TR54-5)
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Defect
(1) A departure of a quality characteristic from its intended level or state that occurs with a severity sufficient to cause an associated product or service not to satisfy its intended normal or foreseeable usage requirements. (TR51) (2) The nonfulfillment of intended usage requirements. The departure or absence of one or more quality characteristics from intended usage requirements. (TR43)
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Design of Experiments (DOE)
A method for carrying out carefully planned experiments on a process. Usually, DoE involves a series of experiments that initially involves evaluating many variables and then focuses on a few critical ones. (TR54-4) A structured, organized method for determining the relationship between factors affecting an assay and output of that assay. (TR57) (TR57-2) (TR74) A structured, organized method for determining the relationship between factors affecting a process and the output of that process (8). (TR60)
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Development Reports
Documentation and description of work done during the early phases of development. The goal is to document information about the way the process works and to document why key choices were made in selecting the specifics of the process (e.g., flow rate or temperature). These documents can serve as a reference during investigations of discrepancies and during the design of specific Validation and characterization studies.(TR14) (TR 42) Documentation and description of work done during the early phases of development (Stage 1). The goal is to document information about the way the process works and to document why key choices were made in selecting the specifics of the process (e.g., flow rate or temperature). These documents can serve as a reference during investigations of deviations and during the design of specific validation and process characterization studies.(TR60)
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Deviation
Departure or digression from set parameters. (TR58) Data or a result outside of the expected range or an unfulfilled requirement; it may be called nonconformity, defect, discrepancy, out-of-specification, out-of-limit, or adverse trend. (TR88)
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Drug Substance (DS)
The active ingredient that is subsequently formulated with excipients to produce the drug product. It can be composed of the desired product, product-related substances, and product- and process-related impurities. It may also contain excipients, including buffers and other components. [Synonyms: bulk drug substance, bulk material, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)] (TR14) (TR57) (TR74) (TR60) Active pharmaceutical ingredient in a drug product that is responsible for that product’s therapeutic activity.(TR67) (TR82) (TR88) See Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API). (TR56)
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Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)
A technique used to measure the size and size distribution of particles. Particles suspended in a solution will cause scattering of light and the extent of the scattering is related to the size and shape of the particles. (TR47)
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Dynamic Record Format (FDA)
Early Phase (Generally used to indicate the following clinical study activities)
Generally used to indicate the following clinical study activities: Microdosing Studies, Phase 1 Trials, Phase 2 Trials, and Phase 3 Trials. See any of the following studies for more information. (TR56)
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Early Phase (Generally used to indicate the following clinical study activities) --Microdosing Studies
Studies designed to speed up the development of promising drugs by establishing very early on whether the drug or agent behaves in human subjects as was expected from preclinical studies. May include the administration of single sub therapeutic doses of the study drug to a small number of subjects (10 to 15) to gather preliminary data on the agent’s pharmacokinetics (how the body processes the drug) and pharmacodynamics (how the drug works in the body). A microdosing study gives no data on safety or efficacy, being by definition a dose too low to cause any therapeutic effect. (TR56)
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Early Phase (Generally used to indicate the following clinical study activities)--Phase 1 Trials
Phase 1 trials are the first stage of testing in human subjects. Often, a small (20-100) group of healthy volunteers will be selected. For life-threatening indications such as oncology, these can be patients that have the target disease but may not yet be the ideal target population. This Phase includes trials designed to assess the safety (pharmacovigilance), tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of a drug. These trials are often conducted in an inpatient clinic, where the subject can be observed by full-time staff. (TR56)
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Early Phase (Generally used to indicate the following clinical study activities)--Phase 3 Trials
Final clinical stage Phase 3 trials are designed to demonstrate the potential advantages of the new therapy over other therapies already on the market; safety and efficacy of the new therapy are studies over a long period of time and many more patients (1,000-3,000) are enrolled into the study with less restrictive eligibility criteria; phase 3 studies are intended to help scientists identify rarer side effects of treatment and prepare for a broader application of the product; phase 3 trials enroll patients to verify efficacy and monitor adverse reactions during longer-term use. (TR56)
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Enabler
A tool or process which provides the means to achieve an objective (ICH Q10). (TR54)
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Equivalence Margin
The largest difference between the results from two methods that is considered as being scientifically and statistically acceptable. (TR57)
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Equivalence/Comparative Testing
A measure of how similar the test results are when compared with the existing method. (TR33)
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Error
Deviation from expected value. Error may be random or systematic. (TR57)
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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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Excipient
A component of a drug formulation that has no active pharmacologic function. Excipients are commonly used in drug formulations as modulators of pH or osmolality for parenteral administration and as stabilizers for APIs. (TR54-4) An ingredient added intentionally to the drug substance that should not have pharmacological properties in the quantity used. (TR57) Inactive pharmaceutical ingredients in a product formulation that are responsible for the product’s manufacturability and physicochemical attributes. (TR67) (TR88)
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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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