PHARMACEUTICAL DEVELOPMENT

ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline Having reached Step 4 of the ICH Process at the ICH Steering Committee meeting  on 10 November 2005, this guideline is recommended for  adoption to the three regulatory parties to ICH

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Objective of the Guideline This guideline describes the suggested contents for the 3.2.P.2 (Pharmaceutical Development) section of a regulatory submission in the ICH M4 Common Technical Document (CTD) format.  

The Pharmaceutical Development section provides an opportunity to present the knowledge gained through the application of scientific approaches and quality risk management (for definition, see ICH Q9) to the development of a product and its manufacturing process. It is first produced for the original marketing application and can be updated to support new knowledge gained over the lifecycle* of a product. The Pharmaceutical Development section is intended to provide a comprehensive understanding of the product and manufacturing process for reviewers and inspectors. The guideline also indicates areas where the demonstration of greater understanding of pharmaceutical and manufacturing sciences can create a basis for flexible regulatory approaches. The degree of regulatory flexibility is predicated on the level of relevant scientific knowledge provided.  

1.2 Scope This guideline is intended to provide guidance on the contents of Section 3.2.P.2 (Pharmaceutical Development) for drug products as defined in the scope of Module 3 of the Common Technical Document (ICH guideline M4). The guideline does not apply to contents of submissions for drug products during the clinical research stages of drug development. However, the principles in this guideline are important to consider during those stages as well. This guideline might also be appropriate for other types of products. To determine the applicability of this guideline to a particular type of product, applicants can consult with the appropriate regulatory authorities.

2. PHARMACEUTICAL DEVELOPMENT

The aim of pharmaceutical development is to design a quality product and its manufacturing process to consistently deliver the intended performance of the product. The information and knowledge gained from pharmaceutical development studies and manufacturing experience provide scientific understanding to support the establishment of the design space*, specifications, and manufacturing controls.    

Information from pharmaceutical development studies can be a basis for quality risk management. It is important to recognize that quality* cannot be tested into products;

Pharmaceutical Development

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i.e., quality should be built in by design. Changes in formulation and manufacturing processes during develo