CMC Live - Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls

Michael Carrol is Senior Consultant of Microbiology and Aseptic Manufacturing at Design Space InPharmatics. He is an accredited Microbiologist with over 35 years of product development, quality control and GMP manufacturing experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. In this episode, Ed, Meranda, Brian and Mike discuss the Parenteral Drug Association, the role of regulatory approvals and other stories from Mike’s illustrious career. They talk about the ever-evolving nature of CMC and the pressures of working in drug development and manufacturing.

Jim Mencel is Senior Drug Substance Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. With an extensive background in CMC management, Jim has a wealth of knowledge on the topic of process validation. Process validation is an integrated and mandatory process in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure all processes are in compliance with regulatory standards. In this episode, Jim provides his thoughts on the significance and science of process validation in the pharmaceutical industry as it pertains to drug substances. He discusses the evolution of batch documentation, expounds on PAR and CPP and stresses the importance of communication.

Edward Narke is a Principal and Regulatory Managing Director and Meranda Parascandola is the Head of Business Development & Marketing at Design Space InPharmatics. Today, Ed and Meranda discuss topics they’ve covered on DSI’s ongoing blog series, The Regulatory Odd Couple. They dive deep into the process of regulatory drug development, including the importance of having regulatory starting materials, building the quality overall summary and the role that excipients play in that process. Ed and Meranda share their thoughts on the analytical framework of API and other stages of pharmaceutical development.

Paul Long is a Project Management Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. Paul has supervised government regulatory pharmaceutical industries for over twenty years and has a wealth of business knowledge. He knows how to build and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, how to prioritize and the importance of meeting budgets and targets. In this episode, Paul, Ed, Meranda and Brian discuss the benefits and challenges of virtual project management during the COVID-19 pandemic, integral project management tools and how project management fits into drug development and the overall CMC space.

The market for the manufactured and supplied APIs is changing continuously, and there are many factors influencing these changes. Being aware of these changing trends is important. Perhaps what’s even more important is how you leverage the opportunities they bring and how to react to them. In this episode, Ed, Meranda and Brian talk with a group of drug substance services experts about the major trends you should know and be aware of, and how you can use them to your advantage. This panel includes experts who have appeared on the podcast before: David Blasingame, Jim Mencel, Dave Adams and Daniel Torok.

David Blasingame is a Director of CMC at Rigel Pharmaceuticals and former Senior Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. David is an accomplished process chemist with over twenty years of experience in process research and development, API and drug product manufacturing and developing cross-functional and external CMO relationships. In this episode, David, Ed, Meranda and Brian discuss the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing drug manufacturing to China, the value of person in-plant approach, and the importance of communication and trust in building good partnership relationships.

Rick Offerman is a Senior Project Management Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. With over twenty years of experience as a process chemist, Rick brings a unique perspective to the drug manufacturing process. In this episode, Rick, Ed, Meranda and Brian discuss the challenges with scaling for process. There are several challenges involved as each scenario is different every time. They delve deep into the importance of carrying out evaluations and other necessary steps to manage these complexities as well as the value of taking an integrated approach.

Hedley Rees is a Managing Consultant at PharmaFlow Limited, a UK based consultancy specializing in operations and supply chain management within the life science sector. Throughout his career, Hedley realized that there was and continues to be something seriously wrong with how medicine has come to market. As such, he has been a passionate advocate of modernization in the pharma and biotech industries. Hedley is also the author of Taming the Big Pharma Monster By Speaking Truth to Power and Supply Chain Management in the Drug Industry. In this episode, Hedley, Ed, Meranda and Brian discuss value chain, quality by design (QBD) and ongoing issues in the pharmaceutical industry.

Daniel Torok is a Senior Drug Substance Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. With a background as a process chemist and years of experience in process development and API Operations, Daniel brings a unique perspective on CMC and the pharmaceutical industry. Today, Daniel discusses the vital role that trust plays in the relationship between a sponsor company and a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) as a Person In-Plant. He provides real-world examples of Person in-plant visits he’s conducted. Finally, he lists some interesting facts, myths and stories about CMOs.

Dave Adams is a Senior Drug Substance Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. Today, Dave joins the show to share his experience solving problems in active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In this episode, Ed, Brian, Meranda and Dave discuss the importance of comprehensive development programs. Dave speaks to quality assurance, tech transfer procedures and real-world case studies that he has encountered throughout his career.

DS InPharmatics Head of Analytical Services, Colman Byrne joins the show to share his experience in analytical method development and validation. Colman is the most senior analytical services expert at DS InPharmatics and is very technically proficient in all aspects of analytics. In this episode, Ed, Brian, Meranda and Colman expound on the process of analytical method development, including challenges, physiochemical properties that can impact the process and regulatory parameters and agencies that exist.

Design Space InPharmatics Senior Quality Assurance Consultant, Bettina Kaplan joins the show to share her experience with quality assurance and auditing in the pharmaceutical industry. In this episode, Ed, Brian, Meranda and Bettina discuss the impact that Covid-19 has had on auditing and how it has shifted the industry to focus on virtual audits. Bettina speaks to trends in quality auditing and the risks associated with not having audits done regularly.

DS InPharmatics' Senior Drug Substance Consultant, James Mencel continues his discussion on expedited drug development programs, specifically the importance of establishing regulatory starting materials. In this episode, Ed, Meranda and James discuss how the FDA and sponsors deal with the challenges of establishing starting materials, the role of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) and striking the balance between appropriate regulatory control and sustainable manufacturability.