Module 3 - Strategic case studies in practice

ICH Q3D(R1) Guideline

 To convey information regarding the controls on elemental impurities in regulatory submissions. As discussed in Section 5.2, there are multiple sources of elemental impurities in drug products. When applying any of the options described below, elemental impurities from container closure systems and manufacturing equipment should be taken into account before calculating the maximum permitted concentration in the remaining components (excipients and drug substance). If it is determined during the risk assessment that the container closure systems and manufacturing equipment do not contribute to the elemental impurity level in the drug product, they do not need to be considered. Where contributions from container closure systems and manufacturing equipment exist, these contributions may be accounted for by subtracting the estimated daily intake from these sources from the PDE before calculation of the allowed concentration in the excipients and drug substance. Option 1: Common permitted concentration limits of elements across drug product components for drug products with daily intakes of not more than 10 grams: This option is not intended to imply that all elements are present at the same concentration, but rather provides a simplified approach to the calculations. The option assumes the daily intake (amount) of the drug product is 10 grams or less, and that elemental impurities identified in the risk assessment (the target elements) are present in all components of the drug product. Using Equation 1 below, and a daily intake of 10 grams of drug product, this option calculates a common permissible target elemental concentration for each component in the drug. This approach, for each target element, allows determination of a fixed common maximum concentration in micrograms per gram in each component. The permitted concentrations are provided in Appendix 2, Table A.2.2. If all the components in a drug product do not exceed the Option 1 concentrations for all target elements identified in the risk assessment, then all these components may be used in any proportion in the drug product. An example using this option is shown in Appendix 4, Table A.4.2. If the permitted concentrations in Appendix 2, Table A.2.2 are not applied, Options 2a, 2b, or 3 should be followed. Option 2a: Common permitted concentration limits across drug product components for a drug product with a specified daily intake: This option is similar to Option 1, except that the drug daily intake is not assumed to be 10 grams. The common permitted concentration of each element is determined using Equation 1 and the actual maximum daily intake. This approach, for each target element, allows determination of a fixed common maximum concentration in micrograms per gram in each component based on the actual daily intake provided. An example using this option is provided in Appendix 4, Table A.4.3. If all components in a drug product do not exceed the Option 2a concentrations for all target elements identified in the risk assessment, then all these components may be used in any proportion in the drug product. ) / ( ) / ( ) / (  day g product drug of amount daily day g PDE gg ion Concentrat   (1)

Option 2b: Permitted concentration limits of elements in individual components of a

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