Product Development Archives - EMMA International

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Drug Development

With the growth of computational capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become a beacon of interest from both the product development side and the regulatory side. Implementation of AI and ML methodologies into the day-to-day life of our society is a real and ever-growing adaptive process. The FDA has just released a document that facilitates discussion and brings about important ideas for its place in society and how it will be regulated [1]. In 2021, over one hundred submissions to the FDA included some usage of AI/ML [2].

Data Integrity

Every company knows the importance of maintaining accurate and complete data of a high quality over periods of time and across all different formats. Having a good data integrity plan is essential and can save an organization time, effort, and money all while providing the security that the organization is not operating and making decisions with incorrect or incomplete data.

Failure Mode Affect and Analysis

FMEA is an acronym that stands for Failure Mode Effect and Analysis which is a method for determining any and all possible points of failure in a design, process, or product. This is a combination of Failure Modes, which is a way in which something could potentially fail and result in defects, and an Effects Analysis which determines the consequences of those failures. During this, failures are prioritized by how serious their consequences are, their frequency, and how they are detected. Failures are eliminated based on their priority, starting with the higher priorities.

The Investigative Process

When issues occur that have the potential to impact product quality, Quality Assurance Reports (QAR) are generated to determine what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. An investigation is launched to determine this and what the potential impacts are.

Change Management And Control

One of the biggest and most important aspects of quality management is a system to monitor changes and how they impact the product. Change management is an approach for changing processes or products in a way which adheres to regulatory standards by ensuring stability and consistency throughout processes. It applies across all changes within a process and throughout an entire products life cycle.

Aseptic Technique and Gowning

One of the most common techniques to prevent contamination of products and reduce quality impacts in the pharmaceutical industry is called aseptic gowning. Humans are the biggest sources of microbial contamination in cleanroom environments and therefore proper gowning procedures are essential to ensuring product quality. Proper training, education, hygiene, qualification, and authorization must be put in place and be required for entry to all clean room environments…

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FDA Adverse Event Reporting

When reporting an Adverse Event to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the best method is to utilize the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). FAERS is a database that contains adverse event reports, product quality complaints that led to an adverse event, and medication error reports1. All FAERS reports are easily accessible to the public.

De Novo Classification

A device can be registered for the De Novo pathway if there is evidence of the safety and effectiveness of the device and there is not a previously legally marketed predicate device1. When determining if your device can go through the De Novo process there are two pathways available to determine the device classification.

Abbreviated 510k submission

There are three types of 510K, Premarket Notifications, which can be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traditional, abbreviated, and special. Abbreviated and Special 510K submissions can be utilized when the submissions meet the certain factors presented by the FDA. When submitting an abbreviated 510K the submission must include the elements that are identified in 21CFR 807.87 for the information required in a premarket notification submission.

Is your product a medical device?

Many marketed products are classified as medical devices and you would not even know it. Medical devices range from latex gloves and tongue depressors to respirators and heart valves. To determine if the product is considered a medical device by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) you will need to analyze if your product meets the definition of a medical device per the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act1.

New Imaging Drug for Ovarian Cancer

In November of 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Cytalux. Cytalux is a new imaging drug intended to assist surgeons with the identification of ovarian cancer lesions1. This new drug was designed to assist in locating additional ovarian cancer tissues that can be…

Product Development