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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Contaminant
Any adventitiously or externally introduced material(s) (e.g., chemical, biochemical, or microbial species) not intended to be part of the process. (TR14) (TR15) (TR70) An undesired impurity of a chemical or microbiological nature that is introduced into a raw material, intermediate, or API (drug substance) during manufacture. (TR14) (TR15) Any adventitiously introduced materials (e.g., chemical, biochemical, or microbial species) not intended to be part of the manufacturing process of the drug substance or drug product. (TR69) (TR74) Any adventitiously introduced material (e.g., chemi­cal, biochemical) or microorganisms including viruses not intended to be included in the manufacturing process of the drug substance or drug product. (TR83)
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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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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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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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Flow-through
Effluent that may contain the product that is not retained by chromatography resin during column loading. (TR14)
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Impurity
Any component present in the drug substance or drug product that is not the desired product, a product-related substance, or excipient including buffer components. It may be either processor product-related. (TR14) (TR57) (TR74) Any component present in the drug substance or drug product which is not the desired product, a product-related substance, or excipient. It may be either process- or product-related (17). (TR60)
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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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Operational Qualification (OQ)
Documented verification that the equipment or systems, as installed or modified, perform as intended throughout the anticipated operating ranges. (TR14) (TR61) (TR64) (TR72) The documented verification that the facilities, systems and equipment, as installed or modified, perform as intended throughout the anticipated operating ranges. (TR54-5) Documented verification that the equipment or systems, as installed or modified, perform as intended throughout the anticipated operating ranges (17). (TR60-3)
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Process Validation
The documented evidence that the process, operated within established parameters, can perform effectively and reproducibly to produce an intermediate or API (drug substance) meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. (TR14) (TR42) Establishing documented evidence which provides a high degree of assurance that a specific process will consistently produce a product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. (TR44) The collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality products. (TR54) (TR57) (TR74) The collection and evaluation of data, from the pro­cess design stage through commercial production, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently delivering quality product. The documented evidence that the process, op­erated within established parameters, can per­form effectively and reproducibly to produce a medicinal product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes, as described in EMA, EU GMP, Part 1, Annex 15, drug/me­dicinal product. (TR56) EMA: The documented evidence that the process, op­erated within established parameters, can per­form effectively and reproducibly to produce a medicinal product meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes. US FDA: The collection and evaluation of data, from the process design stage through commercial pro­duction, which establishes scientific evidence that a process is capable of consistently deliver­ing quality products. (TR60-2) The documented evidence that the process, operated within established parameters, can perform effectively and reproducibly to produce an intermediate or drug substance meeting its predetermined specifications and quality attributes (1, 17). (TR60-3)
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Process Validation Protocol
A written plan pre-approved by the quality unit that specifies critical steps, controls, and measurements. The process validation protocol states how validation will be conducted, identifying sampling, assays, specific acceptance criteria, production equipment, and operating ranges. Results obtained for each study described in the protocol should be evaluated in an associated process Validation report. (TR14) (TR42)
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Process Validation Report
A report approved by the quality unit that summarizes specific tests performed, compares the test results with the protocol acceptance criteria, and addresses deviations encountered during the study. (TR14) (TR42)
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Retrospective Process Validation
Validation of an existing manufacturing process that occurs by reviewing data from relevant historical and test production records. (TR14) (TR42)
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Revalidation
Repeating partial or full validation of a process after a process change is implemented. Re-validation is change-based, not time-based. (TR14) (TR3) (TR42)
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Sanitization
Reduction of microbial contaminants to safe levels as judged by public health requirements for the specific country. (TR13) A significant reduction in bioburden, achieved in chromatography by the use of bactericidal agents, such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrochloric acid (HCl), ethanol (EtOH), and isopropanol (IPA). (TR14) The process of reducing microbial levels by treatment at less than defined sterilizing conditions. Typically water at 80 °C or a chemical treatment is used to perform sanitization of process components. (TR45) A process that reduces the number of viable microorganisms to a defined level. (TR61) (TR69)
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Scale-Down Model
A small-scale process step that has been demonstrated to be representative of a production-scale operation. (TR14)
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Storage Solution
A solution typically selected to control bioburden during column storage. (TR14)
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