Author Archives: Tim Sandle

eBook: BPI Lab — Patterns, Peaks, and Trends: Advantages of Digital Data for Biopharmaceutical Quality Control

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Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Similarly, data are useless without analysis. And even as artificial intelligence makes inroads into the biopharmaceutical industry, human insight remains important. Graphically representing data is more than just creating pretty pictures; proper data visualization can improve the communication of sometimes abstract information to make data accessible, understandable, and usable. Patterns and insights arise during the review process — whether data are intended for internal or external publication or for inclusion in…

April 24, 2023

A Case Study in Environmental Monitoring: Reviewing Incubation Times Upon Recovery of Microorganisms

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Environmental monitoring (EM) remains an essential detection tool for cleanrooms within healthcare and pharmaceutical-manufacturing facilities. During monitoring, an agar growth medium is incubated at a specific temperature for a set time. There is no single approach to incubation. Researchers have performed several EM incubation studies, with results reflecting a diversity of practice. Typically, biomanufacturing sites either run selective monitoring sessions using single-incubation regimes with two different culture media, or they leverage a dual-incubation system using two temperature ranges with a…

March 21, 2023

Expanding Considerations in Cleaning Validation: Risks Posed By Indirect Product-Contact Surfaces on Pharmaceutical Equipment

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Cleaning validation receives a great deal of attention within the biopharmaceutical industry, not least because of the risks of product adulteration and hence patient harm from improperly cleaned surfaces (notwithstanding additional concerns such as operator protection). Traditionally, cleaning validation efforts focus on direct product-contact surfaces. However, the hazard and resultant risk posed from indirect product-contact surfaces should not be underestimated. Consideration of the risks presented by indirect surfaces should figure into every contamination-control strategy. Understanding of these risks cannot be…

October 20, 2022

eBook: BPI Lab — Contemporary Approaches to Data and Organization

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Laboratories provide essential support functions in biopharmaceutical development: from cell-line development through process validation, environmental monitoring, and preclinical analyses . . . to product characterization, formulation, and stability testing. Regulatory compliance is important across the gamut of such laboratory work. Modern companies are implementing lean concepts that facilitate organization and workflows in laboratory operations. And companies around the world can use the latest technology to ensure data integrity for their analytical results. Included herein are two articles that originally appeared…

October 18, 2022

Risk Considerations for Aging Pharmaceutical Facility Cleanrooms

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Pharmaceutical facility cleanrooms are designed to reduce and control particle contamination and to minimize the ingress and retention of microorganisms. Such risks typically are easy to control in well-designed, modern facilities. But risk mitigation is more difficult in older facilities. There is no exact definition of what constitutes an aging facility (or what are sometimes euphemistically called legacy facilities). For example, a facility established 100 years ago to manufacture a simple tablet can continue to operate perfectly well with careful…

May 21, 2021