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Dedicated Equipment Should also be Included in Cleaning Validation

In a recent Warning Letter, the U.S. FDA criticised inadequate cleaning of non-dedicated equipment. However, cleaning of dedicated equipment was also criticised. What did the FDA find?

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What does the Concept Paper on Annex 15 Revision say? A detailed Analysis

In the previous newsletter, you could read about a concept paper from the EMA describing the planned changes to Annex 15 (Qualification and Validation) of the EU GMP Guidelines. Find out more in detail what the concept paper on the Annex 15 revision contains.

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Process Validation: From Regulatory Burden to Stratgic Advantage

Jesper Wagner from NIRAS is a member of the ECA Validation Group. He has published an article in the online journal “Pharmaceutical Online” on the topic of “Process validation rethought: From mandatory requirement to strategic competitive advantage.” It is among the top 10 most-read articles of 2025 on Pharmaceutical Online. Read a summary.

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What did the FDA criticise in the Design of a Water System?

In a recent Warning Letter, the FDA addressed deficiencies in a water system. Two references from the US GMP rules are cited. On the one hand, 21 CFR 211.63 with reference to equipment and, on the other hand, 21 CFR 211.100 with reference to process controls ('validation'). What bothered the FDA?

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Concept Paper Annex 15 Revision published

In the working plans of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) a new revision of Annex 15 was proposed in 2024. Now the concept paper for this revision has been published on EMA´s website.

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ECA Survey Results II: How is Statistical Process Control used in the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Phase 3 (ongoing/continued process verification) is the longest phase in the validation life cycle. Many companies use statistical process control (SPC) for this purpose. Concept Heidelberg conducted a survey for the ECA specifically on this topic. Among other things, the ECA wanted to know which control charts are used and what the limits are for cpk-values, etc. Read part II of the survey results summary. 

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New FDA Term in the Field of Equipment

A Canadian drug manufacturer received a Warning Letter due to its GMP deficiencies. Among other things, deviations from 21 CFR 211.67 (a) were found. What did the FDA criticise?

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ECA Survey Results I: How is Statistical Process Control used in the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Phase 3 (ongoing/continued process verification) is the longest phase in the validation life cycle. Many companies use statistical process control (SPC) for this purpose. Concept Heidelberg conducted a survey for the ECA specifically on this topic. Among other things, the ECA wanted to know whether SPC is also used in other areas, which control charts are used, etc. Read the results of the survey in Part I. 

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Process Validation covers the entire Manufacturing Process

The latest interpretations of regulatory GMP requirements are often based on inspection results. The FDA Warning Letters are very openly accessible in this regard. Here you read about an example for the interpretation of CGMP in the context of process validation.

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Validation Group Developments September through December 2025

Find out what the ECA Valdiation Group was working on and accomplished in the last four months of 2025 - in the latest report.

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