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Introduction Assurance (QA) programs. In GPM processes,
his article is limited to the principles of outside of validated parameters weighing addi-
organization for calibration work in tions, sterilization temperatures, compound-
relation to cGMP and other pharma- ing pressures, and other factors are most likely
ceutical standards. Calibration and me- not recoverable and costly to the business.
trology methods related to actual calibration Mistakenly released products within an estab-
techniques, statistics, and theories are not ex- lished QA program could be detrimental to
plored in our discussions.1 Each class of instru- patients’ health and manufacturers’ reputa-
ments requires specific techniques and ap- tion, including legal implications.5
proaches to achieve stated accuracies. All mem- Proper operation of process systems and
bers of the calibration team should be educated laboratory equipment in the pharmaceutical
in metrology techniques and skills necessary environment is critical for product quality,
for the successful calibration work. manufacturing cost, and research development.
In pharmaceutical applications, perfor- Processes controlled by instrumentation out-
mance and accuracy of instrumentation de- side of defined tolerances, presumably irre-
vices are governed by Current Good Manufac- versible, will lead to distraction of affected
turing Practices (cGMPs). Verification of proper materials and rise of production costs. Incor-
process instrumentation operation is an im- rect data of laboratory instrumentation and
portant factor for finished product in Quality measurements could delay development and
Figure 1. Facility
instrumentation
configuration diagram.
release of new products resulting in potential losses of the tures for sterilization, weights of each chemical addition,
market share. mixing time, and feeding rates are examples of windows for
The Product Master File and Batch Records contain infor- validated parameters critical in determination of final phar-
mation concerning weighing specifications, sterilization re- maceutical product quality.2
quirements, compounding parameters, and other details of Precision of data in research and development applica-
scientifically developed process tolerances. Production reci- tions is one of the requirements associated with current Good
pes include sequential order of all process activities and Laboratory Practices (cGLPs). Good calibration record keep-
permitted fluctuations. Maximum and minimum tempera- ing and maintenance of standards and instruments are
Field calibrators are certified as Field calibrators are functional but not necessarily Instruments subjected to calibration program require greater
traceable to NIST. Failures of field traceable to NIST. Calibrators functional or calibration functional analysis than devices under preventative maintenance
calibrators will result in product hold failures will be limited to equipment retests only. program. For example, failure of calibrators used for sterilization
and investigations. processes and calibrators used for balancing temperature in
office areas will generate different responses.
Calibration and process tolerances Instruments and loops functional performance are Product quality could be directly or indirectly affected by out of
are specified for the process defined for control and monitoring processes of non- tolerance instruments in the Calibration program. Instruments
operating range and instrument GMP areas. under preventative maintenance program have functions of
operating range. convenience, energy cost, effectiveness or comforts.
Documentation of performed Documentation of performed preventative maintenance There should be no difference in documentation filing and
calibration is filed under calibration is filed under preventative maintenance calibration retrieval between calibration and preventative maintenance
program. program. programs.
Calibration schedules and frequen- Preventative Maintenance schedules and frequencies Both programs could be defined by one database and divided by
cies are under periodic review and are under periodic review and approval. Critical, non-Critical and Maintenance categories.
approval.
Instruments, loops and systems Instruments, loops and systems functional failures will Calibrated instruments and loops are traceable to calibrators and
calibration failures will trigger necessitate repairs and possible notifications. standards. It is a good practice to use calibrated instrument in
notification, investigations, product preventative maintenance work. However, strict instrumentation
hold, etc. traceablilety is not necessary.
Table A. Similarities and differences between calibration and preventative maintenance programs.
necessary for expected reliability of experimental outcomes. Technology (NIST). Calibration procedures work with for-
Introductions of new drugs to the market could be affected by mats of records to establish documentation layout and flow
failures of upholding metrology standards in science labora- designed to assure traceability of collected data. Verification
tories. of instrumentation measuring devices performance is com-
The purpose of this article is to review in a general format prised from two parts. One is a calibration certification and
a Calibration Program suitable for the pharmaceutical in- the other is a calibration check. The calibration certification
dustry. In addition, a discussion of engineering methods for summarizes a methodical process defined by a written and
process specifications and theory of calibration requirements approved procedure developed for a range of measurements.
in reference to pharmaceutical process procedures, opera- A calibration check is a simplified confirmation of the instru-
tion/laboratory methods, and standards for instrumentation ment, loop, or device performance. Usually calibration checks
tolerances will be outlined. are represented by one or two test measurements.
Weighing additions of chemical components, process tem- A successfully executed calibration procedure confirms
peratures, pressures, flows, etc., will naturally fluctuate from that manufacturing processes and laboratory experiments
batch to batch. Therefore, cGMP requires that Standard are not affected by the tested instrument within the last
Operating Procedures (SOPs) for validated pharmaceutical calibration time interval. Calibration failure in the “as found”
processes will cover maximum allowed fluctuations for speci- data will necessitate an investigation of the product produced
fied parameters. Products made outside of critical control within the last calibration period. In the laboratory environ-
defined specifications will oblige sanctions of product “on ment, all tested lots will be affected by an instrument calibra-
hold” for investigation. An almost certain outcome from tion failure. Strict procedures are required for notification of
investigations will lead to destruction or rework of manufac- calibration failures. Adjustments of the instruments found
tured material. out of tolerance should be controlled by Standard Operating
Permitted variations in processes need to agree with the Procedures (SOPs). Each SOP should contain instructions for
equipment and instrumentation capabilities. Qualification adjustments or reference them to published literature. For
tests and procedures for instruments in validated processes investigation purposes, some instruments could require ad-
will provide the necessary assurance of accurate process execu- ditional testing and may not be adjusted or repaired inimita-
tions. Verification of the instrument’s compliance to the pro- bly. Investigational tests may be needed to determine a
cess requirements is an important phase for the system quali- magnitude of losses or requirements for application/design/
fication and validation. Selections of calibration procedures, replacement of an instrument.
calibration frequencies, and certification methods for instru- Properly established instrumentation tolerances, calibra-
ments, sensors, control loops, and systems depend on applica- tion procedures, and instruments functional tests are very
tions, accuracies, and characteristics of instruments stability. important issues for product development, quality assurance
Data of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes and labo- programs, and production costs. CGMP/cGLP metrology pro-
ratory testing are limited by the instrumentation accuracy. gram issues related to laboratory instruments, manufactur-
Product quality compliance requires calibration standard ing capabilities, process tolerances, and calibration method-
certification traceable to National Institute of Standards and ology are addressed in this article. Actual calibration tech-
chart is presented in Figure 2. The Maintenance and Calibra- tion Program can satisfy the need for verification for such
tion work need integration for the following reasons: devices without traceable documentation for standards
and detailed records.
• Calibration schedules must be coordinated with preventa-
tive maintenance schedules. Preventative maintenance of Figure 3 summarizes the necessary steps for finalizing and
a system immediately after calibration will void all cali- approving calibration documentation. In the process of devel-
bration efforts. Calibration should be a conclusion of opment or modification of a calibration program, those steps
preventative maintenance work. could be subdivided or combined to satisfy company policies,
• All instruments require performance verification. How- personal need of technical staff, or availability of equipment
ever, the detailed periodic calibration with documented and software. A brief description for each step is presented
traceable standards is not necessary for maintenance below:
gauges, HVAC controls, and many other devices. The
preventative maintenance functions within the Calibra- 1. The first step is dedicated for instrument identification