WHO Expert Committee on Specifications for Pharmaceutical Preparations - WHO Technical Report Series, No. 863 - Thirty-fourth Report
(1996; 200 pages) View the PDF document
Table of Contents
View the document1. Introduction
Open this folder and view contents2. The international pharmacopoeia and related activities
View the document3. Simple test methodology
Open this folder and view contents4. Stability of dosage forms
Open this folder and view contents5. Good manufacturing practices for pharmaceutical products
Open this folder and view contents6. Legal and administrative aspects of the functioning of national drug regulatory authorities
Open this folder and view contents7. Quality assurance in the supply system
View the document8. Terminology
View the documentAcknowledgements
View the documentReferences
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 1 - Guidelines for the graphic representation of chemical formulae
View the documentAnnex 2 - List of available International Chemical Reference Substances1
View the documentAnnex 3 - List of available International Infrared Reference Spectra
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 4 - General recommendations for the preparation and use of infrared spectra in pharmaceutical analysis
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 5 - Guidelines for stability testing of pharmaceutical products containing well established drug substances in conventional dosage forms
Close this folderAnnex 6 - Good manufacturing practices: guidelines on the validation of manufacturing processes
View the documentIntroduction
View the documentGlossary
View the documentGeneral
View the document1. Types of process validation
View the document2. Prerequisites for process validation
View the document3. Approaches
View the document4. Organization
View the document5. Scope of a process validation programme
View the document6. Validation protocol and report
View the documentReferences
View the documentBibliography
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 7 - Good manufacturing practices: supplementary guidelines for the manufacture of investigational pharmaceutical products for clinical trials in humans
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 8 - Good manufacturing practices: supplementary guidelines for the manufacture of herbal medicinal products1
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 9 - Multisource (generic) pharmaceutical products: guidelines on registration requirements to establish interchangeability
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 10 - Guidelines for implementation of the WHO Certification Scheme on the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products Moving in International Commerce
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 11 - Guidelines for the assessment of herbal medicines1,2
Open this folder and view contentsAnnex 12 - Guidelines on import procedures for pharmaceutical products
View the documentBack Cover
 

Glossary

The definitions given below apply to the terms used in these guidelines. They may have different meanings in other contexts.

calibration

The performance of tests and retests to ensure that measuring equipment (e.g. for temperature, weight, pH) used in a manufacturing process or analytical procedure (in production or quality control) gives measurements that are correct within established limits.

certification

The final review and formal approval of a validation or revalidation, followed by approval of a process for routine use.

challenge tests/worst case

A condition or set of conditions encompassing upper and lower processing limits and circumstances, within standard operating procedures, that pose the greatest chance of process or product failure when compared with ideal conditions.

installation qualification

The performance of tests to ensure that the installations (such as machines, measuring devices, utilities, manufacturing areas) used in a manufacturing process are appropriately selected and correctly installed and operate in accordance with established specifications.

manufacturing process1

1 For the purpose of this Annex, "manufacturing process" is used as a synonym of "production process".


The transformation of starting materials into finished products (drug substances or pharmaceutical dosage forms) through a single operation or a sequence of operations involving installations, personnel, documentation and environment.

operational qualification

Documented verification that the system or subsystem performs as intended over all anticipated operating ranges.

qualification of equipment

The act of planning, carrying out and recording the results of tests on equipment to demonstrate that it will perform as intended. Measuring instruments and systems must be calibrated.

revalidation

Repeated validation of an approved process (or a part thereof) to ensure continued compliance with established requirements.

validation

The collection and evaluation of data, beginning at the process development stage and continuing through the production phase, which ensure that the manufacturing processes - including equipment, buildings, personnel and materials - are capable of achieving the intended results on a consistent and continuous basis. Validation is the establishment of documented evidence that a system does what it is supposed to do. Other definitions also exist, e.g. that given in the guidelines on GMP for pharmaceutical products (7, page 22).

validation protocol (or plan)

A document describing the activities to be performed in a validation, including the acceptance criteria for the approval of a manufacturing process - or a part thereof - for routine use.

validation report

A document in which the records, results and evaluation of a completed validation programme are assembled. It may also contain proposals for the improvement of processes and/or equipment.

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Last updated: May 3, 2013