According to the FDA and other regulatory agencies, analytical instruments should be under the same strict control as manufacturing equipment. Analytical instruments provide critical scientific data about a manufactured product. This data ensures confidence that a quality product has been manufactured and is appropriate and safe for sale to the public. Therefore, as manufacturers, we are bound to ensuring all of our equipment is strictly controlled.
When a pharma or biotech sponsor company engages with a contract research organization (CRO) and other service providers, it develops a list that details which organization is responsible for each task to be conducted. The degree to which a small to midsize sponsor has the expertise and the resources internally to manage a task, as well as budgetary constraints, will dictate which tasks it delegates and which it keeps in-house.
According to the latest PharmSource Trend Report, Bio/Pharma CapEx Trends 2016, biopharma companies have invested over $150 billion in new plants and equipment in the past five years. As this sector continues on an upward trend, it is placing significant pressure on the supply chain. Mother Nature in California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Southeast Asia and Amazon’s much-anticipated HQ2 serve as further reminders to plan for mitigating cost and schedule project impact.
Many sponsors and CROs conduct mock inspections to determine organizational inspection and audit readiness. Investing in a regulatory mock inspection demonstrates a serious commitment to patient safety, data integrity, and regulatory compliance. It is also a proactive strategy to safeguard financial health, particularly for startups and companies with sparse pipelines.
Typically, supplier management programs use a supplier survey or an on-site audit to verify if a supplier is compliant with the requirements of a standard or regulation. However, for a supplier management program to provide added value to an organization, the supplier evaluation should look beyond the requirements of a standard or regulation. A value-added supplier management program should also consider items such as supplier capability, capacity, and contingency planning.
Around the holidays, I reminisce about family dinners: three generations under one roof for a few hours, catching up on the past year. My mother presided over the festivities for several decades until her passing. For 10 years, she was a survivor of a rare cancer. She had two surgical resections and treatments before the cancer returned. There was only one approved orphan drug, which was 50 percent effective in decreasing mortality for six months. There weren’t many options in clinical trials and no Internet patient-centric community for information and support.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $3.5 million settlement against Primex Clinical Laboratories, a California laboratory providing clinical diagnostic testing services. As if that multimillion-dollar fine was not ominous enough, the DOJ announced another settlement in the same press release: It had imposed a $270,000 fine against the CEO of a related pharmacogenetics testing facility. The alleged wrongdoing centered on “sham” clinical trials, purportedly designed to mask improper payments to physicians who ordered pharmacogenetics tests.
Larger CDMOs are broadening their scale and services to fill strategic gaps by building a mosaic comprised of smaller, focused-service providers. This trend is effectively increasing the size and scope of the large global end-to-end CDMOs, while reducing the number of small and midsize service providers. Has a void has been created?
Over the last several months, we’ve heard of far too many incidents of sexual harassment or worse coming to light. In the event you’re not familiar with the terms, #MeToo is a hashtag used in social media to demonstrate the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. It went viral as victims started to post their own stories, showing how widespread the problem actually is. Founded by Hollywood celebrities in response to several high-profile sexual harassment and assault cases in the entertainment industry, the Time’s Up initiative champions change in these behaviors and works to establish fair treatment for all.
Leading a clinical trial at a research site as an investigator is a challenging task. Running a successful study requires the ability to manage budgets, coordinate the activities of support teams, efficiently allocate limited time and resources, and navigate the complexities of regulations and reporting obligations.