Change Control Process
Overview
Change Control is part of a company’s GMP Quality Management System (QMS) and ensures that the validation of the manufacture, testing, and release of healthcare and pharmaceutical products is not jeopardised through altering and “improving” some of the approved operating conditions.
Throughout the lifetime of a product it is unreasonable to expect a complex series of manufacturing activities to remain unaltered. However, it is equally unreasonable to allow uncontrolled changes to manufacturing process steps, equipment, methods, and specifications to be implemented without due consideration to wider implications, as this may impact on the final product quality and ultimately patient safety.
The change control process is a series of formal assessments of a potential or proposed change, where the initiator details the nature, scope, purpose, and justification for a planned change. This is assessed by all relevant departments and the impact on different areas of the business is determined. Once the full extent of the impact and actions are known a change can be permitted or rejected.
Change control and Marketing Authorisation (MA)
The potential effect of changes on Marketing Authorisations (MA) means the regulatory impact is a critical part of the change evaluation process. Whilst many manufacturing changes are unlikely to affect the registration details, others reported and detailed within the CTD require updating through license variation and the product’s life cycle maintenance.
Failure to adequately assess and implement changes in MAs is one of the main contributing factors for registration drift.
Change control and GMP Quality Systems
Quality Systems required prior to product commercialisation are controlled and regulated to guarantee the manufacture, testing, and release of a product is consistent batch after batch.
Some of the key elements of GMP QMS include:
- Change control
- Deviations/OOS
- Complaints and recalls
- Validation (process, equipment, facilities, and utilities)
- Training
- Auditing (including self-inspections)
- Documentation and records
Need further information?
How Woodley BioReg can help with GMP quality systems
Woodley BioReg is GMP certified by UK’s MHRA.
WBR helps pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and healthcare companies develop their skills and quality systems through tailored, highly interactive training in the full range of cGMP quality systems including change control at the plant and affiliate level.
Companies expend huge resources, both financially and in “man hours”, on validation activities for manufacturing processes and products. With the experience of reviewing over 10,000 MAs for a wide range of products and therapeutic areas globally, WBR is uniquely placed to provide advice on the review and remediation of discrepancies as well as the measures for future prevention of registration drift.
Woodley BioReg can supply flexible resourcing solutions to provide this on a short and long-term basis at your site and remotely.
