Chlorine dioxide has been shown effective in decontaminating various types of chambers and volumes such as rooms, isolators, processing tanks, and entire facilities, but its use to decontaminate compressed gas piping systems has not been documented. This article discusses using dry gaseous chlorine dioxide (ClO2) to decontaminate an oxygen (O2) feed piping system in a...

The Industrial Mixers Handbook provides information and considerations for choosing an industrial mixer for food, pharmaceutical, chemical, biomass and mineral applications.

In 2019, a global pharmaceutical company approached ZETA with a significant challenge. The goal was to implement a major development-based EPCM (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management) project...

Two sessions at the 2022 ISPE Facilities of the Future Conference in early February captured varied views of emerging technologies in the pharmaceutical industry, and the industry’s work to embrace...

What do recipients of ISPE’s prestigious Facilities of the Year Award (FOYA) know that has helped their projects succeed? What are the lessons learned from achievements in facilities development, including forward-looking projects that encompass and inspire changes in the industry? Pharmaceutical Engineering® spoke with nine FOYA winners from recent years about the lessons they learned and...

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) pose specific manufacturing challenges beyond those typically addressed by pharmaceutical chemistry. Often in current ATMP applications, a change in approach is introduced at some point in the development process out of convenience or necessity, which then results in a change in technology. This article analyzes the possibility of transferring a cell...

Nephron is a rapidly growing manufacturer of generic respiratory medications and a contract manufacturer of blow-fill-seal products. Also, as a 503B compounder, Nephron has made significant investments in the production of high-volume pharmaceutical preparations for interstate distribution. Adapting their production output to the constantly changing needs of the market requires frequent...

The Industrial Mixers Handbook provides information and considerations for choosing an industrial mixer for food, pharmaceutical, chemical, biomass and mineral applications.

A scale-up can be compared to a weather forecast. It is usually correct for the next two days, but the forecast for the next week becomes increasingly imprecise due to the many influencing parameters. The same applies to development processes in...

Aseptic process simulation (APS) is essential for validation of an aseptic manufacturing process and is required by regulators to demonstrate the aseptic capability of such processes. A successful program of APS and aseptic manufacturing requires significant operator training, skills, and supervision; thorough maintenance; effective cleaning and disinfection; significant oversight of every...

This article presents the results of applying artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning algorithms, to identifying and predicting anomalies for corrective maintenance in a water for injection (WFI) processing plant. The aim is to avoid the yearly stoppage of the water for injection plant for preventive maintenance activities, common in the industry, and use a more scientific...

This article revisits the concept of phased engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and updates it with risk-based considerations specifically regarding the commissioning, qualification, and validation (CQV) of general life-cycle principles for pharma and biotech projects. Enhancing the relationship between phases of a project, advanced planning, and more formal management of...

Defining room temperature and humidity limits is a frequent topic of debate when designing and operating pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities. What are appropriate alarm limits and acceptable durations for an alarm condition? Understanding the source of temperature and humidity requirements, and strategies for setting limits, can ensure both compliance and optimum use of energy. This...

Cleanrooms and controlled contamination environments are increasingly being used across many industrial sectors, including the pharmaceutical industry. An important issue is the operating cost associated with cleanroom energy consumption and, consequently, the identification of applicable energy containment measures. This article reviews pharmaceutical cleanroom calculations for...

One of the goals of the cleaning validation design phase is to define critical process parameters (inputs) and acceptance criteria (outputs) of the cleaning process. This article explores the selection of a master soil as part of the cleaning validation design phase for automated parts washers. The selection and qualification of a master soil through laboratory testing and during factory...

The commissioning of a cleanroom is a complex and crucial process with many stages that start after the rooms are designed and built. The ultimate goal of cleanroom commissioning is to confirm that the controlled space will have a robust, clean and safe environment for the processing of drug products, medical supplies, or other manufactured products.

In 2014, Pharmaceutical Engineering® published an article, “

The highest quality and safety standards are key criteria in the planning and development of production facilities for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. However, building services engineering is no less important and demands in this field have been increasing steadily over the past few years. HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) is a critical factor in this area and is subject...

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Each year, ISPE celebrates innovations and advances in pharmaceutical manufacturing technology with its Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) program. This year, we added a new category, Social Impact, to recognize companies that developed new standards and practices to prevent drug shortages and increase patients’ access to medicine, designed new tools or techniques that reduced the cost of drug...

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In 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduced Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to create a methodology to promote sustainability-focused practices in the building industry. This article reviews the earliest protype that we know of for a LEED manufacturing facility, presents a real-world case study of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility achieving LEED Gold,...

We have some clarity over the desired end point of zero carbon within the next 30 years (or sooner for some pharma companies), but our industry is uncertain how we will achieve this objective. As pharma engineers, we will all play a role in delivering this end point through the continuous improvement of existing facilities and by designing, equipping, and building new facilities that will be...

Sustainability is a key principle for pharmaceutical companies in 2020. However, translating corporate goals into meaningful improvements can be a challenge, particularly when competing factors such as complex technical requirements or ambitious project schedules are involved.

Manual decontamination procedures are laborious processes and can be costly, requiring significant time and resources to complete. Manual procedures also may need to be repeated if initial efforts do not fully kill pathogens. To reduce failures and potentially reduce cost, chlorine dioxide gas decontamination was investigated as an alternative solution.

Moving platforms from development to the delivery of more biopharmaceuticals to more patients is reality, not just a concept, for Moderna, Inc. Juan Andres, the company’s Chief Technical Operations and Quality Officer, presented on “mRNA Medicines—Industrializing a New Platform” at the

Cleanrooms and laboratories can save a significant amount of energy by reducing airflow of air handling units (AHUs) after closing hours. Although challenging, airflow reduction is a successful energy reduction measure and has been implemented within the energy reduction program of Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V. in Leiden, the Netherlands.

How CMOs keep conditions controlled and reduce costs with temporary power, climate control, 100% oil-free air

The unavailability of a backup pharmaceutical water system has been a severe limitation for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Until recently, qualification concepts that adhered to current Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines hindered the rapid setup of a water system. A new, tailor-made qualification concept for mobile water treatment has been developed to align with guidance from various...

It is a common practice in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries to execute a factory acceptance test (FAT) for equipment involved with various drug manufacturing processes. The FAT is a project milestone in purchasing good manufacturing practice–compliant equipment.

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Although other industry publications have explored the effect of surface finish on biofilm formation, background data indicating that imperfections exceeding the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) standard are detrimental to chemical cleaning performance are lacking.1

• 1Arnold, J. W., and O. Suzuki. “E ects of Corrosive Treatment on...

Although it includes some background material, this article is based predominantly on a series of interviews with SMEs at Eli Lilly, Janssen, Hovione, C-SOPS, and Patheon from October to December 2017. The comments and observations that follow are theirs.

An overview of pass-through boxes as they relate to the life sciences industry, defining their purpose, applications, and available options.

Recent cyberattacks like WannaCry and Petya have affected GxP computerized systems, prompting questions on how to address risk from cyberspace using traditional computerized systems validation according to GAMP^® 5. This article explores life cycle management of GxP computerized systems and associated cybersecurity risks that can affect patient safety.

Double-wall containment: an answer to unsafe piping systems While most in the pharmaceutical industry understand the need for double-wall containment piping systems, our field observations indicate that many companies do not. We frequently see pipes that should be (but are not) double-wall containment systems. This article presents an overview of the topic, so that readers who...

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Spurred by pressure from governments and consumers to curb rising drug prices, pharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly willing to look beyond traditional batch processing to cut costs and increase efficiency. One of the industry's most dramatic innovations on this front is continuous manufacturing (CM). The technology, which produces drugs in an uninterrupted process, benefits...

ISPE's 2018 Facilities of the Future Conference highlighted emerging technologies that are driving change in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Topics included virtual reality, robotics, artificial learning, machine learning, and 3D printing. Education sessions were divided into Industry 4.0 and continuous manufacturing (CM) tracks.  

This article shares a process used to evaluate terminal HEPA filter maintenance programs serving a parenteral manufacturing plant. The evaluation determines whether maintenance history data supports extending preventive maintenance frequency. Terminal HEPA filters in HVAC applications serving Grade B, Grade C, Grade D, CNC, and unclassified areas are...

Integrated VPHP systems offer a versatile, automated, sporicidal process for cleanroom suites, isolators, RABS, chambers, and pass-throughs. 

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Despite the advantages of ozone technology as a powerful commercially available oxidant and disinfectant, this technology has not been adopted broadly by the pharmaceutical industry. This article contains the rationale for applying ozone technology in a packaged system, which offers greater reliability and efficacy, using best practices that eliminate variables common in on-site integrated...

The following is an example of an evaluation of room air change rates for potential reduction using QRM, providing more detail on engineering considerations.

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This article presents current research on the problem of rouge in clean steam generators and their distribution systems, as well as possible deleterious effects on capital equipment and final drug products.

What is cleaning validation and where does it fall in the life cycle validation scheme? How can an automated washing system be validated? This article provides insights that may help answer these questions.

Lilly Is 2017 Overall Winner

This article presents the standards and guidelines typically used by manufacturers to design and build GMP washers and sterilizers. It describes the characteristics that differentiate GMP from regular laboratory equipment.

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