Authors


Krista Witt

Latest:

Studying In Vitro Skin Preparation and Drug Release to Optimize Dermatological Formulations

In vitro skin penetration and drug-release studies are the simplest and most cost-effective methods for characterizing a drug's skin absorption and penetration profiles.


A. Mark Trotter

Latest:

The Usefulness of 0.45 &#181m&#150Rated Filter Membranes

In this study, the authors examine the suitability of 0.45 &#181m&#150rated filters to be used as sterilizing and bioburden-reduction filters against significant populations of organisms such as B. diminuta in a wide range of differential pressures.


Rainer H. Müller

Latest:

A Novel Amorphous Delivery System to the Skin for Poorly Soluble Actives

Drugs in the amorphous form are loaded into porous silica particles, which provide a maintained concentration gradient for skin delivery.


David S. Zuckerman

Latest:

Optimizing Cross-Organizational Team Performance and Management

Treating a cross-organizational team as a full-fledged partnership helps complete a project on time and on budget.


Irwin Silverstein, PhD

Latest:

Excipient Quality Essentials

Defining quality for excipients may not be as clear cut as it is for APIs, but it is essential to product quality and patient safety, and to choosing the best supplier.


Reune Runyon

Latest:

A reliable method for producing highly purified water.

This article describes the quality of highly purified water and its applications, addressing why ultrafiltration (UF) is being used as a downstream purification process. It aims to show that UV is a real alternative for producing pyrogen-free water. This method allows essential cost savings compared with distillation and guarantees a higher safety than other membrane methods such as reverse osmosis.


Gert Auterhoff

Latest:

ISO Standard for Primary Packaging Materials

Based on a German initiative, an international standard on quality management systems for the primary packaging materials of medicinal products is discussed in this article. This new directive will help to standardize the production of primary packaging materials by defining global requirements.


Paul D Eramo

Latest:

The Future State of Computer Validation, Part II: Increasing the Efficiency of Computer Validation Practices

Part I of this article was published in the March 2003 issue of 21 CFR Part 11: Compliance and Beyond. In this issue, Part II discusses the potential advances and changes that must be made for computer validation to remain innovative and relevant to the industry.


Christopher C. DeMerlis

Latest:

Regulatory Update: The IPEC Novel Excipient Safety Evaluation Procedure

The authors, representing the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council, propose a new evaluation procedure, including tiered toxicology testing for excipients.


Mauricio K.E. Jungbauer

Latest:

Automated artwork generation

This article examines automated artwork generation, which enables pharma companies to generate validated artwork for their products' packaging. Automated artwork generation is based on a complete set of data stored in an artwork management system. It enables the dynamic assembly of artwork documents, accelerates traditional processes and significantly reduces costs.


Harald Stahl

Latest:

Comparing Different Granulation Techniques

Granulation is one of the most important unit operations in the production of pharmaceutical oral dosage forms. However, there are many different technologies each having different strengths and weaknesses. Most companies choose which one to use simply based on their own experience. This article introduces different processes, compares them objectively and offers unbiased advice on the merits of each system. It then looks at the implications of selection on two different applications.


M.J. Snowden

Latest:

Milling Made Easy: Nanoindentation as a Predictor of Bulk Properties

Size reduction of materials through comminution is employed in many industries, including agrochemicals, minerals, ceramics and pharmaceuticals. The reasons for particle size reduction depend on the industry in question. Within the pharmaceutical industry, a large percentage of products are formed from powders and undergo processing to improve dosage form properties. Particle size reduction prior to compacting to tablets can aid with dissolution and homogeneity. Such processing of powders is, in part, dependent on their mechanical properties and balancing these properties is crucial in achieving desired manufacturing performance. Generally, pilot-scale milling trials are run to determine the most effective and efficient mill and operating conditions for each material. These trials, however, require relatively large quantities of material as well as time, and are normally run in early development when sufficient material becomes available. Hence, it would be highly beneficial to identify a physical property..


Peter Harrop

Latest:

Rapid progress in pharma RFID

Drug companies have come to realize that spending heavily on creating new blockbuster drugs is risky and less cost-effective ...


Gurminder Marwaha

Latest:

Credit crunch bites R&D

A possible recession in the US and a global credit crunch are going to be major factors in the amount of money available as shareholders tighten their purse-strings.


Hana Danan

Latest:

Applying Good Laboratory Practice Regulations

Good laboratory practice (GLP) regulations became effective in 1979 under 21 CFR Part 58 and apply to all non-clinical safety studies intended to support research permits or marketing authorizations. This article introduces some key elements regarding the application of GLP regulations as a quality system and how GLPs are perceived internationally.


Teresa I. Lucas

Latest:

A Stability Program for the Distribution of Drug Products

The authors outline stability studies designed to evaluate the effect of temperature excursions on product quality that may occur during distribution.


Reno Debono, PhD

Latest:

Using Ion Mobility Spectrometry for Cleaning Verification in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

This article discusses the use of ion mobility spectrometry as an alternative to high-performance liquid chromatography to reduce the amount of time spent on the cleaning verification process.


Bruno C. Hancock

Latest:

The Effect of Mill Type on Two Dry-Granulated Placebo Formulations

The authors evaluate the effect of various mill types on particle-size distribution, flowability, tabletability, and compactibility.


Ketan A. Mehta, PhD

Latest:

Effect of Formulation and Process Variables on Matrix Erosion and Drug Release from a Multiunit Erosion Matrix of a Poorly Soluble Drug

By optimizing formulation and process varibles, pellets can be prepared that can release a poorly soluble drug for 12-24 h following zero-order kinetics.


O.P. Katare

Latest:

Preparation and In Vitro Evaluation of Miconazole Nitrate-Loaded Topical Liposomes

Entrapment of miconazole nitrate in liposomes was achieved after studying the effect of various process and formulation variables.


Doreen R. Coppola

Latest:

CMO-grown Innovation and Technology

Today's contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) offer the latest in technology advanced equipment and innovative homegrown production processes.


Lynda Bruce

Latest:

The Impact of 21 CFR Part 11 on Equipment Design for R&D Applications

This article examines the application of 21 CFR Part 11 to those areas of research and development (R&D) where compliance is not strictly required and the response of R&D equipment vendors to the rule's requirements and customer needs. The case is presented that vendors must accept that understanding and meeting Part 11 requirements is now part of their business environment.


Mukesh C. Gohel, PhD

Latest:

Functionality Testing of a Multifunctional Directly Compressible Adjuvant Containing Lactose, Polyvinylpyrrolidone, and Croscarmellose Sodium

The authors review their study that aimed to develop a coprocessed, directly compressible, multipurpose adjuvant that could serve as a diluent and built-in disintegrant.


William Goebel

Latest:

21 CFR Part 11: Where Are We Now?

FDA's revised guidance on 21 CFR Part 11 offers relief to the regulated industry by providing for enforcement discretion and suggesting a risk-based approach to compliance.


Martin Brown

Latest:

Maintenance Qualification: Improving Compliance and Performance in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

This article describes the approach to maintenance management that delivers enhanced compliance for direct impact GMP systems...


J.C. Mitchell

Latest:

Milling Made Easy: Nanoindentation as a Predictor of Bulk Properties

Size reduction of materials through comminution is employed in many industries, including agrochemicals, minerals, ceramics and pharmaceuticals. The reasons for particle size reduction depend on the industry in question. Within the pharmaceutical industry, a large percentage of products are formed from powders and undergo processing to improve dosage form properties. Particle size reduction prior to compacting to tablets can aid with dissolution and homogeneity. Such processing of powders is, in part, dependent on their mechanical properties and balancing these properties is crucial in achieving desired manufacturing performance. Generally, pilot-scale milling trials are run to determine the most effective and efficient mill and operating conditions for each material. These trials, however, require relatively large quantities of material as well as time, and are normally run in early development when sufficient material becomes available. Hence, it would be highly beneficial to identify a physical property..


Keith C. Gordon

Latest:

Terahertz applications for the analysis of solid dosage forms

This article investigates pharmaceutical applications of terahertz technology, specifically using techniques for solid dosage form analysis such as pulsed spectroscopy (to generate physical information and detect API changes) and pulsed imaging (to locate formulation impurities, and regulate tablet coating quality and thickness).


Justin C. Iovino

Latest:

Design and Implementation of Electronic Batch Recording Systems

Paper batch records have been used for decades to record procedures, the type and quantity of each material used, and the status of each step in the manufacturing process for both pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Although paper batch records are less complicated to implement than their electronic counterparts, and the controls required for data recording and archival are well understood, a paper batch record system is laborious to maintain and prone to human error, which increases the compliance risk. Additionally, batch records have become bulky and more time consuming to prepare and review, particularly as manufacturing operations become increasingly complicated. Advances in technology and science have created a more competitive climate in life science industries than ever before, causing the need for manufacturers to reduce costs and time-to-market, and improve their ability to satisfy the compliance requirements of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. The use of electronic batch recording systems (EBRS) and electronic batch records (EBR) offers one solution.


TOSOH Bioscience

Latest:

Toyopearl Toyoscreen — For the Fast Identification of the Optimal Resin

Tosoh has developed a new product - Toyopearl Toyoscreen that allows fast identification of the optimal resin for your sample. You can develop the optimal conditions for the separation in addition to the determination of the dynamic binding capacity. All the resins prepacked in these columns are real process resins concerning particle size. Results on the small columns can be scaled up to production.


Hewa Saranadasa

Latest:

Defining the Similarity of Dissolution Profiles Using Hotelling's T2 Statistic

This article describes a method for assessing the similarity of dissolution profiles using Hotelling's T2 statistic. The method applies a covariance structure that accounts for the heterogeneity of variance and correlation across time points. Comparing the method with the f2 criterion recommended in FDA's guidance on dissolution testing, the performance of the two methods was assessed on real examples, and simulation studies were also done to compare the method's performance with that of the f2 criterion.