Developing a crisis management playbook designed for the challenges of the pharmaceutical industry sector is vital to ensuring long term business continuity. Below are a few critical risk management elements you should consider for your team during crisis handling & developing a crisis management playbook.
Risk Management
Being able to identify factors that impacted product safety or regulatory compliance is one of the most important elements during the risk assessment phase. During RCA’s risk management services process, operational risk management is one of the first remediation steps to consider.
Identify Risk
Being able to identify the product hazards that caused the crisis is critical to understand scenario planning. Conduct due diligence to ensure that your product design outputs include no risks that are unnecessary to the consumer. Hazards that do include one or more risk factors must be analyzed why the patient benefit exceeds the financial risk.
Measure Risk
During scenario planning, identify the critical elements to measure your team and results by via a risk management framework. A risk profile for each product in question can support evaluating, reporting and monitoring adverse events. Systemic risk should be analyzed for product risk profiles with longer term, reoccurring events or specific pharmacovigilance indicators identified as proactive crisis control.
Mitigate Risk
Being able to work clearly and concisely with your regulatory agency is critical for the due diligence solutions presented for review. Examining all hazards that have been identified during the risk mitigation phase is essential to success during the risk management process. Consider any of the threats that are regarded as acceptable with known risks and document unusual activity in your risk management plan.
Crisis Management Communications
An initial step recommended by RCA’s medical device consulting team is to identify and evaluate the regulatory compliance dangers and situations. For example, assessing the vulnerability of medical device cybersecurity must consider internal and external threat modeling. Any type of cyber breach that might impact your operations team, business reputation, or stakeholder relationships should have a detailed communication strategy.
Crisis Communication Plans
A veteran RCA medical device consultant suggests developing a universal shared space where team members can bookmark & access the crisis comms document. A communication strategy would then be shared with communication partners engaged in the public relations and crisis management campaign.
Risk Management Communications
Inside a successful crisis communication team, everyone knows their role and responsibilities. RCA’s regulatory consulting Experts often designate a process leader who clearly understands the team stakeholders and functions they represent. Refine your approval process so that messaging not only meets external approved communications from these stakeholders, but also legal concerns.
Crisis Control
A detailed risk management communication plan helps specify different examples for sharing risk messaging to either internal audiences or external stakeholders. Design your communication plan templates so that information is easy to understand for multiple audiences. Different types of tactics to be considered for templates (e.g. press release, social media) to confirm the messaging reliability of the crisis communication strategy.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage. You may also email us at [email protected].
Health Canada, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recently launched an innovative, new pilot focused on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The Single Inspection Program is designed to help rationalize the number of inspections needed to increase efficiency during the regulatory process.
A primary objective is to maintain regulatory standards by eliminating redundancies and providing a more “global approach to GMP inspections of third-country manufacturers”. Additionally, the program design is intended to increase existing collaborative GMP arrangements to allow for:
More efficient inspection reliance processes
Reduced regulatory burden on healthcare industry
Enhanced regulatory oversight of global supply chains
Regulatory Authorities
In a proactive step toward harmonization, the three regulatory bodies will begin accepting a single inspection for a Canadian, Australian and British regulatory application (based on the drug establishment license, or DEL). The long-term strategy includes leveraging the inspection assets of each regulatory authority to collectively collaborate when additional data is available.
Additionally, by maximizing the global regulatory reach of multiple agencies, the pharmaceutical industry will benefit from fewer inspections needed at the same site or manufacturing facility. This should increase both the speed of the regulatory process and patient access to medical products. Both are a win-win for the life science industry as the regulatory process becomes more streamlined than previously experienced.
GMP Practices
All three regulatory bodies are members of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S). PIC/S is an international, non-binding cooperative between Regulatory Authorities in the field of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Additionally, PIC/S membership is focused on companies that develop medicinal products for human or veterinary use, and over 50 countries from around the world currently participate.
Finally, the mission of the current membership is to lead the “development, implementation, and maintenance of harmonized GMP standards and quality systems”. A more efficient inspection process will allow drug manufacturers to reduce any type of disruption to operations that multiple audits may induce.
About RCA’s Pharmaceutical Consulting Services
Regulatory Compliance Associates (RCA) has helped thousands of pharmaceutical companies meet regulatory, compliance, quality assurance, and remediation challenges. With more than 20 years of experience with FDA, Health Canada, EU and global regulatory agencies worldwide, Regulatory Compliance Associates® offers leading pharmaceutical consultants. We’re one of the few pharma consulting companies that can help you navigate the challenges associated with industry regulations.
Our pharmaceutical consulting firm includes over 500 seasoned FDA, Health Canada & EU compliance consultants and regulatory affairs experts who understand industry complexities. It’s a pharma consultancy founded by regulatory compliance executives from the pharmaceutical industry. Every pharmaceutical industry consultant on the Regulatory Compliance Associates team knows the unique inner workings of the regulatory process.
Client Solutions
Whether you’re in the product planning, development or pharmaceutical lifecycle management stage or need a remediation strategy for a compliance crisis, Regulatory Compliance Associates will guide you through every pharmaceutical consulting step of the regulatory process. Our pharmaceutical consulting Experts will create a customized approach depending on your product and company’s individual needs. Our regulatory compliance clients include:
Companies new to FDA, Health Canada or EU regulations and regulatory compliance
Start-up organizations with novel submissions to 510(k) submissions from multi-national corporations
Investment firms seeking private equity due diligence for pre-acquisition and post-deal research
Law firms seeking pharmaceutical consulting firm expertise in the remediation of warning letters, consent decrees, 483’s or import bans
Regulatory affairs is Regulatory Compliance Associates backbone. We exceed other pharma consulting companies with industry experts experienced in complexities of the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Our pharma consulting expertise spans all facets and levels of Regulatory Affairs. Additionally, we specialize in Regulatory Support for New Products to Life Cycle Management, Outsourced Regulatory Affairs, Submissions, Training, and more.
As your partner, we can negotiate the potential assessment minefield of regulatory compliance services with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our breadth and depth of knowledge and regulatory compliance consulting. We offer the following pharma consulting regulatory affairs services for pharmaceutical companies.
The regulations process surrounding pharmaceutical companies can be tricky for even the most experienced industry veteran to understand. Just one misstep could mean significant and lasting consequences for your business. At Regulatory Compliance Associates, we offer the pharma consulting experience and pharma consultants necessary to guide you through the quality compliance process.
Regulatory Compliance Associates Quality consulting includes assessments, strategy, implementations, staff augmentations, and identification of quality metrics to ensure continuous improvement. Our pharma consultants understand the strategic thinking needed to align your business needs and goals. Regulatory Compliance Associates quality assurance services include quality experts with experience spanning major corporations and start-ups. Our pharmaceutical consulting firm knows firsthand how to achieve, maintain, and improve quality. Finally, our regulatory compliance services team excels in transferring continuous improvement knowledge to your organization.
Regulatory Compliance Associates has a proven remediation services approach to managing FDA Warning Letters, Consent Decrees, Remediation and other serious regulatory situations. Our pharma consultants know how to partner with executive, legal, and communication teams. Each RCA pharma consulting Expert will develop a response that will be accepted by the regulatory agency and be realistic to execute.
Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma regulatory consultants will develop a comprehensive proof book of documented evidence demonstrating the corrective action taken to remediate non-compliant issues. In addition, each Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma consulting Expert understands compliance enforcement. We’ll prepare a comprehensive pharma consulting strategy to assist in your remediation efforts, drive continuous improvement, and maintain regulatory compliance with the regulations.
Regulatory Action
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Enforcement
Warning Letter
483 Observation
Oversight Services
Risk Management Plan
About Regulatory Compliance Associates
Regulatory Compliance Associates® (RCA) provides pharmaceutical consulting to the following industries for resolution of life science challenges:
We understand the complexities of running a life science business and possess areas of expertise that include every facet of R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, and manufacturing. We are used to working on the front lines and thriving in the scrutiny of FDA, Health Canada, MHRA and globally-regulated companies.
As your partners, Regulatory Compliance Associates can negotiate the potential minefield of regulatory compliance and regulatory due diligence with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our unique expertise and experience.
Founded in 2000
Headquartered in Wisconsin (USA)
Expertise backed by over 500 industry subject matter experts
The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company, along with its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®, is a leading global provider of mission-critical end-to-end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry-recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of over 190 million patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
We are a trusted partner to 5,800+ customers in over 50 countries, including 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
Commitment to Quality
Our Certificate of Registration demonstrates that our Quality Management System meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, an internationally recognized standard of quality.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage.
The world has changed in many ways since the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Regulators are taking advantage of technology to institute greater social distancing, limiting contact between people to curb the spread of the coronavirus. For you, this could mean a transition to virtual audits.
The auditing process, which helps you identify and fix compliance deficiencies, must continue to maintain the vital supply chain of needed drugs and other items.
Approach a Virtual Audit as the New Normal
For some clients and suppliers, virtual audits may be a long-term solution. It may not be clear for some time how long COVID-19 precautions will need to stay in place. For parties that have well-established relationships and supply chains, virtual audits may make more sense over the long term.
The opportunity to reduce one-on-one interactions lessens the risk of spreading the coronavirus. If the two sides already have a level of comfort together, their ability to work through challenging times will be better than if you are embarking on a new relationship, where things might not go as smoothly.
Not everything can be accomplished virtually. You’ll still face some instances where an in-person visit is necessary, such as for pre-approvals and new products. Plan accordingly. Taking every possible precaution, such as requiring masks and gloves and keeping the auditor 6 feet away from employees, can protect both parties during such mandatory in-person interactions.
If you do not think an in-person visit is necessary or you’re dealing with extenuating circumstances, such as an outbreak of the virus, communicate your concerns. The well-being of your employees and the auditor should be the focus of any post-pandemic auditing strategy, and you can protect your employees by voicing any concerns you have.
Make Adjustments for the Long Term
Treatments are still being developed for the coronavirus, and it will take some time before the spread of the virus is under control. Until then, virtual audits will become a long-term solution to protect everyone involved and reduce the spread of infection.
You can learn from your initial experiences and make changes to help during the next virtual audit. Try these strategies for assistance with long-term planning:
Take notes during the virtual audit, observing anything that surprises you.
Keep track of any personal protective equipment needed if a brief in-person audit is used.
Speak with employees after the virtual audit to get their input on what went well and what could be improved.
Looking over your notes and results from past audits can also help you anticipate any potential issues or concerns before your first virtual audit. Remember that this is new territory for everyone and that you’ll likely encounter some bumps in the road as the processes get smoothed out. If you have any questions about virtual audits and how to prepare for them, get in touch with Regulatory Compliance Associates® today.
About RCA’s Pharmaceutical Consulting Services
Regulatory Compliance Associates (RCA) has helped thousands of pharmaceutical companies meet regulatory, compliance, quality assurance, and remediation challenges. With more than 20 years of experience with FDA, Health Canada, EU and global regulatory agencies worldwide, Regulatory Compliance Associates® offers leading pharmaceutical consultants. We’re one of the few pharma consulting companies that can help you navigate the challenges associated with industry regulations.
Our pharmaceutical consulting firm includes over 500 seasoned FDA, Health Canada & EU compliance consultants and regulatory affairs experts who understand industry complexities. It’s a pharma consultancy founded by regulatory compliance executives from the pharmaceutical industry. Every pharmaceutical industry consultant on the Regulatory Compliance Associates team knows the unique inner workings of the regulatory process.
Client Solutions
Whether you’re in the product planning, development or pharmaceutical lifecycle management stage or need a remediation strategy for a compliance crisis, Regulatory Compliance Associates will guide you through every pharmaceutical consulting step of the regulatory process. Our pharmaceutical consulting Experts will create a customized approach depending on your product and company’s individual needs. Our regulatory compliance clients include:
Companies new to FDA, Health Canada or EU regulations and regulatory compliance
Start-up organizations with novel submissions to 510(k) submissions from multi-national corporations
Investment firms seeking private equity due diligence for pre-acquisition and post-deal research
Law firms seeking pharmaceutical consulting firm expertise in the remediation of warning letters, consent decrees, 483’s or import bans
Regulatory affairs is Regulatory Compliance Associates backbone. We exceed other pharma consulting companies with industry experts experienced in complexities of the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Our pharma consulting expertise spans all facets and levels of Regulatory Affairs. Additionally, we specialize in Regulatory Support for New Products to Life Cycle Management, Outsourced Regulatory Affairs, Submissions, Training, and more.
As your partner, we can negotiate the potential assessment minefield of regulatory compliance services with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our breadth and depth of knowledge and regulatory compliance consulting. We offer the following pharma consulting regulatory affairs services for pharmaceutical companies.
The regulations process surrounding pharmaceutical companies can be tricky for even the most experienced industry veteran to understand. Just one misstep could mean significant and lasting consequences for your business. At Regulatory Compliance Associates, we offer the pharma consulting experience and pharma consultants necessary to guide you through the quality compliance process.
Regulatory Compliance Associates Quality consulting includes assessments, strategy, implementations, staff augmentations, and identification of quality metrics to ensure continuous improvement. Our pharma consultants understand the strategic thinking needed to align your business needs and goals. Regulatory Compliance Associates quality assurance services include quality experts with experience spanning major corporations and start-ups. Our pharmaceutical consulting firm knows firsthand how to achieve, maintain, and improve quality. Finally, our regulatory compliance services team excels in transferring continuous improvement knowledge to your organization.
Regulatory Compliance Associates has a proven remediation services approach to managing FDA Warning Letters, Consent Decrees, Remediation and other serious regulatory situations. Our pharma consultants know how to partner with executive, legal, and communication teams. Each RCA pharma consulting Expert will develop a response that will be accepted by the regulatory agency and be realistic to execute.
Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma regulatory consultants will develop a comprehensive proof book of documented evidence demonstrating the corrective action taken to remediate non-compliant issues. In addition, each Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma consulting Expert understands compliance enforcement. We’ll prepare a comprehensive pharma consulting strategy to assist in your remediation efforts, drive continuous improvement, and maintain regulatory compliance with the regulations.
Regulatory Action
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Enforcement
Warning Letter
483 Observation
Oversight Services
Risk Management Plan
About Regulatory Compliance Associates
Regulatory Compliance Associates® (RCA) provides pharmaceutical consulting to the following industries for resolution of life science challenges:
We understand the complexities of running a life science business and possess areas of expertise that include every facet of R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, and manufacturing. We are used to working on the front lines and thriving in the scrutiny of FDA, Health Canada, MHRA and globally-regulated companies.
As your partners, Regulatory Compliance Associates can negotiate the potential minefield of regulatory compliance and regulatory due diligence with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our unique expertise and experience.
Founded in 2000
Headquartered in Wisconsin (USA)
Expertise backed by over 500 industry subject matter experts
The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company, along with its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®, is a leading global provider of mission-critical end-to-end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry-recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of over 190 million patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
We are a trusted partner to 5,800+ customers in over 50 countries, including 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
Commitment to Quality
Our Certificate of Registration demonstrates that our Quality Management System meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, an internationally recognized standard of quality.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage.
Regulatory Compliance Associates (RCA)® has helped thousands of pharmaceutical companies meet regulatory, compliance, quality assurance, and remediation challenges. With more than 20 years of experience with FDA, Health Canada, EU and global regulatory agencies worldwide, RCA offers leading pharmaceutical consultants that can help you navigate through the challenges associated with evolving industry regulations.
We also handle more medical device regulatory affairs consulting submissions in a month than many manufacturers do in a lifetime. We have experience working with the FDA, MHRA, EMA and notified bodies worldwide. Therefore, you can count on RCA’s medical device regulatory consulting for in-depth and up-to-date insights which increase speed-to-market.
Let the RCA team of experts guide you through the constantly changing domestic and international regulations to successfully register your products. From pre-submission strategies to international submission support, our expert team has the unique insight necessary to help you take your products to the next stage of product development.
Follow the links below to learn more about our regulatory services in Pharmaceuticals and/or Medical Devices.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage. You may also email us at [email protected].
Cell and Gene Therapies also known as (ETMPs) have continued to evolve in recent years. Over the last 15 years the industry and regulatory bodies have continued to learn more about them and in recent year there have been more and more guidance documents released outlining what the regulating bodies want the manufacturers and developers of these different biologic products to look for and adhere to during development.
Cell and Gene Therapies are Personalized medicine meaning, one patient, one drug. These types of drugs are not produced in large scale or in batches like the standard biologics or drugs we have been used to manufacturing up to this point. They are made in very small batches that are produced in laboratory setting but require the same environmental controls as your typical aseptic processing but a much smaller scale.
The issues companies face when manufacturing cell and gene is that they are introducing variability right away in the process in terms of the active ingredient. In this type of manufacturing, the active ingredient is the specific patient’s genome. With the variable ingredient, manufacturers do not know what they are working with upfront which makes the process difficult. It is a non-tradition way of thinking that makes validating a process that has that kind of variability hard on cell and gene companies without experience in this area.
The Non-traditional Approach
This approach to drug approval is based on an individualized patient’s genetic makeup and requires the developers to make a constant process of taking the patient’s genetic material and producing the cell and gene therapy dose at the end. Developers have to be able to categorize the variable, walk it through the process, and then categorize it again at the end making sure it is safe and effective for the patient even though it is based on their cell and gene genetic material.
Regulatory Compliance Associates® can assist you in ensuring the quality of your biologics or biosimilar product during its entire lifecycle. From pre-market to post-market reviews, inspection, and compliance, our Biotech consulting experts can shepherd your biologics through design, labeling, promotion, production, and testing. Our Biologics consultants & consulting services include:
Regulatory Affairs
Regulatory affairs is Regulatory Compliance Associates® backbone and we fully understand the complexities of the biologics industry. Our biotech consulting expertise spans all facets and levels of Regulatory Affairs, from early phase & bioanalytical sciences through late phase and post approval.
Preclinical & CMC Consulting
FDA Meetings & Briefing Package Assistance
Clinical Trial Applications
Marketing Applications
Medical Writing
Lifecycle Management
Regulatory Submission & Strategic Support
eCTD Publishing
Strategic Consulting & Intelligence
US Agent
Project Management Support
Clinical Development Support
Clinical Research Organization (CRO) Sourcing
Analytical Development Support
Bioassay Design & Validation
Immunoassay Support
Statistical Analysis & Specification Setting
Compliance Assurance
Increasingly, life science companies are feeling the pressure of greater scrutiny by regulators, and responding by developing sustainable compliance strategies. Whether it’s biologics consultants preparing for an audit, developing a response to an FDA finding, or remediation to an adverse event, Regulatory Compliance Associates® biotech consulting global team can help.
cGMP Compliance Audits: Manufacturing, Pilot Plant, Laboratory
cGLP Audits
Good Clinical Practices
Preparation, Training & Inspection Readiness
cGMP Fundamentals (Annual Training Required by Regulations)
Quality System Regulation
Risk Management
Investigations, Deviations & CAPA & Root Cause Analysis
Validation & Technology Transfer
Purchasing Controls & Supplier Management
Document Management & Change Control
Audit Readiness
Quality Culture & Management Responsibility
Data Integrity & Good Documentation Practices (GDP) Centered on How the Data is Recorded, How to Correct an Error, and How to Document the Reason(s) for the Error
Quality Assurance
Regulatory Compliance Associates® Quality consulting services include assessments, strategy, implementations, staff augmentations, and identification of quality metrics. Our biologics consultants goal is to ensure continuous improvement, aligning with your business needs and goals. Our biotech consulting subject matter experts have experience spanning major corporations and start-ups.
We know firsthand how to achieve, maintain, and improve quality, and we excel in transferring this knowledge to your organization.
Quality Management System Implementation
SOP Development
Document Control Systems
Change Control
Laboratory Operations & Control
Remediation Services
Regulatory Compliance Associates® is widely recognized within the life science industry and global regulatory agencies for its ability to help companies successfully resolve complex remediation services scenarios. With a proven track record of success, Regulatory Compliance Associates® biologics consultants have significant experience with the development of responses to 483 Observations, Warning Letters, Untitled Letters and Consent Decrees.
Regulatory Action
483 Response & Remediation
Warning Letter Response & Remediation
Consent Decree Response & Remediation
Oversight Services
Consulting
Comprehensive Audits
Remediation Plan Development & Implementation
Manufacturing Support
Re-validation of Existing Equipment & Processes
Remediation of System Deficiencies Related to, Manufacturing Process, Equipment, or Facility
Facility Improvements (Aging Facilities)
Strategic Consulting
Whether it’s a corporate needs analysis, corporate growth / transformation strategy or due diligence / acquisition, Regulatory Compliance Associates® worldwide biotech consulting experience can help ensure a successful mix of top-notch advice and people so your engagement is on time, on budget, and you’re never embroiled in a costly mistake.
Portfolio Management
Mergers & Acquisitions / Due Diligence
Staffing Support
Biostatistics
At Regulatory Compliance Associates, we recognize that biostatistics continues to change life science consulting one project at a time. Our biostatistics consultant Experts can help with both your internal or external clinical study and medical research needs.
RCA biostatisticians will create a custom scope of work based on the applicable statistical tests and predictive techniques that increase regulatory compliance. In fact, our statistical consulting team approach to clinical study design and clinical research provides Regulatory Compliance Associates clients a true competitive advantage during product development and commercialization.
Our biostatistics consulting services include:
Clinical research
Medical research
Epidemiological research
Disease occurrence research
Disorder prevalence research
Data safety monitoring
Adverse event research
Regulatory Compliance Associates healthcare consulting Experts can provide quantitative analysis that propels your commercialization projects faster and more accurately. Our statistical consulting Experts can provide deep insights into the regulatory compliance process of what can help you with your regulatory submission.
Biostatistics is more than just getting your white paper published – it’s about saving lives and getting the right products to market. RCA’s epidemiological consulting team will provide a custom scope of work based on your clinical research studies. For over 20 years we’ve partnered with clinicians, PhD’s, MD’s, and epidemiologists to increase the success of their initiatives, including clients from:
Hospitals and health care systems
Government agencies and departments
Academic and university research programs
Life science manufacturers and organizations
Private equity and venture capital
Regulatory Compliance Associates biostatistics consulting team provides a diverse set of healthcare consulting services during the clinical research trials process, including:
Biostatistics
Clinical trials
Phase 1 clinical trial
Phase 2 clinical trial
Phase 3 clinical trial
Phase 4 clinical trial
Medical trials
Clinical trial oversight
World wide clinical trials
Decentralized clinical trial
Randomized clinical trial
Clinical test oversight
Pragmatic trial
Open label studies
About Regulatory Compliance Associates
Regulatory Compliance Associates (RCA) provides biologics consulting & biotech consulting to the following industries for resolution of life science challenges:
We understand the complexities of running a life science business and possess areas of expertise that include every facet of R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, and manufacturing. We are used to working on the front lines and thriving in the scrutiny of FDA, Health Canada, MHRA and globally-regulated companies.
As your partners, we can negotiate the potential minefield of regulatory compliance and regulatory due diligence with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our unique expertise and experience.
Founded in 2000
Headquartered in Wisconsin (USA)
Expertise backed by over 500 industry subject matter experts
The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company, along with its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®, is a leading global provider of mission-critical end-to-end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry-recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of over 190 million patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
We are a trusted partner to more than 5,800 customers in over 50 countries, including 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 8 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
To begin the Regulatory Compliance Associates scoping process today, please enter your information in the blue form below and click the submit button at the bottom of the webpage.
Click now to learn from Sue Schniepp, Distinguished Fellow at Regulatory Compliance Associates, as she describes microbial process design and how your team can improve contamination control.
Human microbes live in every part of a human being, including the skin, gut, and nose. Trillions of microorganisms live inside the human body — often outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. However, microorganisms only make up roughly 1 to 3 percent of the body’s mass because of their tiny size. Sometimes microbes in food can lead to illness, but it is more common for microbes in human body functions to safely live in their host. Additionally, many types of microbes provide unique qualities that help increase life expectancy and human survival in general.
Annex 1
When it comes to microbial control and process design, there are unique drivers listed in the EU’s Annex 1 regulatory guidance that can help your organization. This regulatory compliance guidance contains different types of contamination control requirements.
Further, these drivers come in many different shapes and sizes, but all can impact manufacturing production if not carefully considered.
Sterile Preparations
Manufacturing sterile products covers a wide spectrum of decisions to be considered by the Quality team and manufacturing operations, including:
Sterile product types
Active substance
Sterile excipient
Packaging material
Finished dosage form
Packaging sizes
Single unit
Multiple units
Sterile processes
Automated systems
Manual processes
Technologies
Biotechnology
Small molecule manufacturing
Closed systems
Additionally, one of the quality assurance goals of sterile product manufacturing is to minimize risk associated with microbial, particulate, and pyrogen contamination.
Process Design
Contamination sources are the focus of process design and are commonly due to microbial and cellular debris, as well as particulate matter. Understanding how your facility, equipment and employees contribute to uncleanness (whether intentional or not) is essential to contamination control. Lastly, process design should consider each contamination source individually and as a whole to achieve regulatory compliance.
Manufacturing Plant
The facility your product is manufactured in is the first gap analysis that should be conducted. For example, a food manufacturing plant will have a different set of needs to be considered than a pharmaceutical manufacturing environment. Each will have unique requirements based on equipment, environment and process. Further, pharmaceutical production follows unique FDA guidance recommendations that are unlike many commercialized products on the market.
Cleanroom
One of the first priorities your team should understand is clean room classifications and differences in a regulated clean room environment. There are many types of cleanroom services that can help with clean room design and preparing for regulatory compliance (e.g. ISO 7 or ISO 8).
For example, cleanliness standards and cleanroom supplies should be maintained and monitored for environmental conditions. Finally, airlocks for both personnel and equipment should include HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) air filtration to increase air cleanliness and controls that reduce contaminants.
RABS
Restricted Area Barrier Systems (RABS) and isolators can help assure environmental conditions help minimize microbial contamination. Further, a reliable containment strategy should consider the types of human intervention that can impact the critical zone. This often goes hand-in-hand with the type of grade the zone is.
There are four primary types of critical zones:
Grade A: this area includes high risk operations that must consider air filtration, the aseptic processing line, and filling zone. Additionally, the stopper bowl, open ampoules and vials also must be studied based on contaminates & unidirectional air flow. Finally, process design & SOPs should minimize the number of operators who don’t use barrier protection or glove port
Grade B: this area is commonly a background cleanroom for Grade A aseptic preparation and filling zone. Most importantly, airflow visualization studies should show that air does not enter from any lower grade cleanrooms to Grade B. Air pressure differentials should be monitored to ensure clean airflow.
Grade C and D: These types of cleanroom spaces are used for lower risk manufacturing stages in the manufacturing process. The most often use class for Grade C and D are the preparation and filling of terminally sterilized
Finally, it is critically important when analyzing the grade of a zone when it comes to modular clean room or portable clean room designs. Make sure your cleanroom construction team understands the types of certified cleanroom principles that follow regulatory compliance.
Water Systems
A water treatment plant is one of the most critical elements of microbial process design. The water filter system should minimize both particulates and pyrogens to help reduce the potential for contamination. Further, special attention should be given to the different types of water filter products used & how they are monitored and maintained over time. Nevertheless, water flow should remain forceful & consistent through water filtration pipes to minimize microbial adhesion & the risks associated with biofilm formation.
Sterilizing Agent
When using a pure steam generator as a sterilizing agent, the design should be correctly purified. Additionally, these agents of sterilization should be designed & validated to confirm steam quality meets both chemical levels and endotoxin levels. For the same reason, measure your steam quality for any additional additives that can cause either contamination of your product or manufacturing equipment.
Central Vacuum System
Understanding when gases come into contact with the product or container surfaces is critical during process design. For example, here are process design concepts to validate proper chemical, particulate, and microbial quality:
Relevant parameters (e.g. oil and water content) should be specified in the documentation
Consider the use cases inside the facility & type of gas being used during the process
Respect the gas generation system & if the design complies with the Pharmacopoeia monograph
Gases used in aseptic processes should always be filtered through a sterilizing filter. If your sterilizing filter is used on a batch basis, consider integrity testing the results during batch certification. Finally, any backflow from vacuum systems or pressure systems can produce hazards to the product. Have your quality team consistently review the mechanisms that prevent backflow when the systems are shut down.
Hydraulic Systems
Manufacturing equipment connected by hydraulics or heating & cooling systems, when possible, should be preferably outside the filling room. Equally important, pump hydraulics or fluid hydraulics located in the filling room should include design controls to contain any spillage. Leaks from these types of systems could pose a contamination risk to the product that should be detectable.
Finally, incorporating an indication system can help monitor leakage scenarios where contamination can become an urgent problem. This can include manufacturing technology such as tank gauges, a tank level sensor, and advanced water level monitor functionality.
Regulatory Compliance Associates (RCA) has helped thousands of pharmaceutical companies meet regulatory, compliance, quality assurance, and remediation challenges. With more than 20 years of experience with FDA, Health Canada, EU and global regulatory agencies worldwide, Regulatory Compliance Associates® offers leading pharmaceutical consultants. We’re one of the few pharma consulting companies that can help you navigate the challenges associated with industry regulations.
Our pharmaceutical consulting firm includes over 500 seasoned FDA, Health Canada & EU compliance consultants and regulatory affairs experts who understand industry complexities. It’s a pharma consultancy founded by regulatory compliance executives from the pharmaceutical industry. Every pharmaceutical industry consultant on the Regulatory Compliance Associates team knows the unique inner workings of the regulatory process.
Client Solutions
Whether you’re in the product planning, development or pharmaceutical lifecycle management stage or need a remediation strategy for a compliance crisis, Regulatory Compliance Associates will guide you through every pharmaceutical consulting step of the regulatory process and create a customized approach depending on your product and your pharma company’s individual needs. Our regulatory compliance clients include:
Companies new to FDA, Health Canada or EU regulations and regulatory compliance
Start-up organizations with novel submissions to 510(k) submissions from multi-national corporations
Investment firms seeking private equity due diligence for pre-acquisition and post-deal research
Law firms seeking pharmaceutical consulting firm expertise in the remediation of warning letters, consent decrees, 483’s or import bans
Regulatory affairs is Regulatory Compliance Associates backbone. We exceed other pharma consulting companies with industry experts experienced in complexities of the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. Our pharma consulting expertise spans all facets and levels of Regulatory Affairs, from Regulatory Support for New Products to Life Cycle Management, to other services like Outsourced Regulatory Affairs, Submissions, Training, and more.
As your partner, we can negotiate the potential assessment minefield of regulatory compliance services with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our breadth and depth of knowledge and regulatory compliance consulting. We offer the following pharma consulting regulatory affairs services for pharmaceutical companies.
The regulations process surrounding pharmaceutical companies can be tricky for even the most experienced industry veteran to understand. Just one misstep could mean significant and lasting consequences for your business. At Regulatory Compliance Associates, we offer the pharma consulting experience and pharma consultants necessary to guide you through the quality compliance process.
Regulatory Compliance Associates Quality consulting includes assessments, strategy, implementations, staff augmentations, and identification of quality metrics to ensure continuous improvement. Our pharma consultants understand the strategic thinking needed to align your business needs and goals. Regulatory Compliance Associates quality assurance services include quality experts with experience spanning major corporations and start-ups. Our pharmaceutical consulting firm knows firsthand how to achieve, maintain, and improve quality, and we excel in transferring pharma consulting knowledge to your organization.
Regulatory Compliance Associates has a proven remediation services approach to managing FDA Warning Letters, Consent Decrees, Remediation and other serious regulatory situations. Our pharma consultants know how to partner with executive, legal, and communication teams. Each RCA pharma consulting Expert will develop a response that will be accepted by the regulatory agency and be realistic to execute.
Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma regulatory consultants will develop a comprehensive proof book of documented evidence demonstrating the corrective action taken to remediate non-compliant issues. In addition, each Regulatory Compliance Associates pharma consulting Expert understands compliance enforcement. We’ll prepare a comprehensive pharma consulting strategy to assist in your remediation efforts, drive continuous improvement, and maintain regulatory compliance with the regulations.
Regulatory Action
Regulatory Compliance
Regulatory Enforcement
Warning Letter
483 Observation
Oversight Services
Risk Management Plan
About Regulatory Compliance Associates
Regulatory Compliance Associates® (RCA) provides pharmaceutical consulting to the following industries for resolution of life science challenges:
We understand the complexities of running a life science business and possess areas of expertise that include every facet of R&D, operations, regulatory affairs, quality, and manufacturing. We are used to working on the front lines and thriving in the scrutiny of FDA, Health Canada, MHRA and globally-regulated companies.
As your partners, we can negotiate the potential minefield of regulatory compliance and regulatory due diligence with insight, hindsight, and the clear advantage of our unique expertise and experience.
Founded in 2000
Headquartered in Wisconsin (USA)
Expertise backed by over 500 industry subject matter experts
The name Sotera Health was inspired by Soteria, the Greek goddess of safety, and reflects the Company’s unwavering commitment to its mission, Safeguarding Global Health®.
Sotera Health Company, along with its three best-in-class businesses – Sterigenics®, Nordion® and Nelson Labs®, is a leading global provider of mission-critical end-to-end sterilization solutions and lab testing and advisory services for the healthcare industry. With a combined tenure across our businesses of nearly 200 years and our industry-recognized scientific and technological expertise, we help to ensure the safety of over 190 million patients and healthcare practitioners around the world every year.
We are a trusted partner to 5,800+ customers in over 50 countries, including 40 of the top 50 medical device companies and 9 of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies.
Commitment to Quality
Our Certificate of Registration demonstrates that our Quality Management System meets the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, an internationally recognized standard of quality.
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Developing a crisis management playbook designed for the challenges of the pharmaceutical industry sector is vital to ensuring long term business continuity. Below are a few critical risk management elements you should consider for your team during crisis handling & developing a crisis management playbook.
Health Canada, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) recently launched an innovative, new pilot focused on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). The 
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