Microbial contamination is of great concern in pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing. Many organizations struggle with determining the root cause of contamination when it occurs, and identifying effective safeguards to prevent future contaminations. This article will introduce a new model for understanding microbial contamination in biopharmaceutical and sterile products and processes. The “Contamination Triangle” identifies the three factors necessary for microbial ingress into a sterile (or pure) system. The use of this model will provide guidance for contamination investigations, clarify the explanation of the contributing root causes in Non-Conformances, and assist in identifying risks and risk mitigation measures as part of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) or other risk assessment method…
Tag: <span>biopharmaceuticals</span>
The world in general, and biopharmaceuticals in particular, are becoming increasingly complex and challenging. The ability to plan and execute a project to efficiently and effectively achieve a high-quality project goal is especially important for developing and manufacturing biopharmaceutical products. Managing projects ranging from product development, process characterization and validation, to building new manufacturing facilities requires straightforward, effective project management approaches and tools. But perhaps even more importantly, managing a project is a fundamental enabling skill required to manage both oneself as well as teams of people.
An interesting situation occurred ten years ago in an industry where quality had been the critical factor in management decision-making. Quality was abruptly bumped to second place behind pricing, which started a global rush to find lower-cost suppliers and eventually resulted in massive outsourcing. During this evolution, the importance of quality systems for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical community was recognized by regulatory agencies that began establishing risk management standards.