Probiotics are categorized as microorganisms most typically found in dairy products, and consumed for their proven health benefits. Research has linked the consumption of the live and active culture of probiotics with the alleviation of numerous gastrointestinal troubles, and with helping to ease the symptoms of lactose intolerance. While consumers are likely to be most familiar with probiotics packaged into well-known yogurts, yogurt drinks, and cheeses, probiotics can also be manufactured into pill or tablet format for consumption as a natural health product. Before any products containing the active bacteria are released to market in Canada, however, they must receive.. READ MORE »
Karl Fischer was a German chemist who discovered that the Bunsen Reaction between iodine and sulfur dioxide could be modified to help determine water content in a non-aqueous system. In 1935, he published this new method, which came to be known as Karl Fischer titration. To learn more, let’s take a look at a few interesting facts about this very important titration method! 1. It Has Several Applications Crossing Many Industries As a student of pharmaceutical quality assurance, you will soon learn about the Karl Fischer Titration method. This method is one of the most accurate procedures for determining the.. READ MORE »
Continuous manufacturing is a method of mass production, where the materials involved flow continuously, without interruption. It enables manufacturing to be constant, operating 24/7 except for occasional maintenance shutdowns. In contrast, the industry standard prior to now has been batch manufacturing, which separates the process into different steps, executed individually. Quality control is an important part of the manufacturing process. Continuous manufacturing could affect it in a few ways—read on for more! 1. Continuous Manufacturing Needs Real Time Pharmaceutical Quality Control Differences in quality control for batch manufacturing vs. continuous manufacturing include the following: Since batch manufacturing allows for testing.. READ MORE »
Among the many tricky problems faced by the pharmaceutical industry, the fact that each patient is unique creates a particularly difficult one to solve. For medication to be affordable, it often needs to be mass-produced, which means a “one size fits all” approach is taken, rather than the creation of medication made for maximum effectiveness for each individual. With qualities like size, age, gender, and many other factors contributing to the ways in which a drug might react with the body, this approach complicates dosing, leads to uncertainty about side effects, and presents a number of other difficulties for patients.. READ MORE »
Professionals working in pharmaceutical quality control play an important role testing and regulating drugs as they are manufactured for market. There are many different types of drugs and medications that come in a wide variety of forms. From tablets, liquids, and gels, to vials for injections and transdermal patches, each method of delivery has its own testing needs and standards. If you’re considering a career in pharmaceutical quality control, here’s a quick introduction to transdermal patches. Pros with Pharmaceutical Quality Control Careers Know How Transdermal Patches Work Transdermal patches are a vehicle for delivering medication through an adhesive patch placed.. READ MORE »
The development of new medication is a long, multi-step process. This is to ensure careful testing and research is conducted, and that medicines are as safe and effective as they can be. One important part of the development process is the preclinical trial phase, in which medication undergoes preliminary testing before it is ever administered to a person. This step is vital to ensuring that human test subjects who participate in later trials are not at great risk of harm. Want to learn a bit more about preclinical trials? Here’s a closer look at why these trials are so important… READ MORE »
The process of developing modern medicines has been one of exploration, with numerous kinds of delivery mechanisms used for different forms of treatment. Today, people take medication that comes in a variety of forms—everything from injections into the bloodstream, to dermal patches, to capsules filled with powdered medication, and beyond. One less common delivery system that is nonetheless hugely important is aerosol delivery. An aerosol is a collection of solid or liquid particles mixed in with gas, and using this format to deliver medication can have a few advantages over other kinds. Here is a look at the two main.. READ MORE »
Vaccines are one of the most useful medical creations of all time. They involve introducing antigens—a substance that the immune system will attack, like dead or weakened viruses—into the body, typically via injection. This can allow people to develop immunities to a range of illnesses, and also to do a better job of fighting against illnesses they have. Many illnesses—like measles, mumps, polio, and more—were once incredibly deadly and affected many people. By preventing the spread of deadly diseases and helping people manage illnesses they already have, vaccines have saved millions of lives over the past centuries. Today, there are.. READ MORE »
Many pharmaceutical companies will develop, test, trial, and manufacture their own drugs and products. However, performing all of these duties is extremely time consuming and requires a lot of resources. Researchers, laboratory equipment, manufacturing equipment, and quality assurance personnel all come at a premium. Because of these costs, many pharmaceutical and biopharm companies are now outsourcing their manufacturing processes. Companies that provide this outsourcing service are called contract manufacturing organizations. As a future quality control and assurance professional, here’s what you need to know about contract manufacturing organizations. Contract Manufacturing Organizations Are Hired to Fulfill Many Duties Contract manufacturing organizations.. READ MORE »
Without proper quality control practices, laboratory procedures can run off the rails, potentially leading to disastrous consequences. For example, in the 1970s a product safety testing institution called Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories found itself at the centre of a serious scandal. The company was found to be actively involved in scientific misconduct and fraud by providing false testing results to the companies they were testing products for. Over one third of all of the United State’s toxicology testing was performed in their labs, making the impact of their errors catastrophic and leaving the industry forever changed. Because of this, in 1978.. READ MORE »
