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Quality Systems Implementation in the Pharmaceutical Industry Quality

Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

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 UIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS RESEARCH JOURAL – Volume 15 – 2009
University of Mauritius, Réduit, Mauritius

Quality Systems Implementation in the

Pharmaceutical Industry
Corinne Lee Siong Chan Wan Kai
Mauritius
Email: corinne_chan84@yahoo.co.uk

Fareeda Khodabocus *
Faculty of Engineering,
University of Mauritius
Email: f.khodabocus@uom.ac.mu,
fkhodabocus@yahoo.com

Paper Accepted on 16 September 2009

Abstract

During the past decades, it has been observed that customers are becoming more
and more quality conscious. One of the possible reasons might be that people want
to acquire excellence. Pharmaceutical manufacturing industries are facing fierce
competition amongst themselves, and to survive, one of the important issues to
consider is the implementation of appropriate and effective quality systems. This
will help to provide safer, more efficient and better quality pharmaceuticals.

This paper introduces some quality standard guidelines that usually apply to
pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, namely, GMP, ICH Q10 and ISO
9001:2000.

Also, a case study of a fictitious Paracetamol manufacturing industry has been

introduced in order to propose a model for it to achieve GMP certification and to
make an estimation of its costs.

In USA, industries are seen to commit an offence if ever they do not possess a
GMP certification or renewal of this certificate. Fines must be paid and the
industry has to comply with GMP, else, it might be ordered to cease business.

In Mauritius, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life is responsible of quality

matters of pharmaceuticals. In contrary to other countries, there is presently no
quality standards imposed on local pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Keywords: Quality/ GMP/ ICH Q10/ Pharmaceutical Industries.

*For correspondences and reprints

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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Background to Pharmaceutical products

Medicine is one of the Greeks’ contributions to human civilization. In fact,
medicines have their origin from the Greeks of the sixth century BC. Still
nowadays, we use medicines to treat diseases. However, various changes have
occurred in this field. Our generation has become more and more quality conscious
and pharmaceuticals of better quality are asked for. This is mainly due to various
fatal incidents which occurred in the past concerning pharmaceuticals manufacture.
Fortunately, various world organizations have been set up in order to make sure
that pharmaceutical products reaching patients comply with quality standards
recommended. Also, governments from around the world have shown their
concern about quality matters by allocating a substantial proportion of its total
health budget to drugs. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this
proportion tends to be greatest in developing countries, where it may exceed 40%.

Aims and objectives

The aim of this paper is to define the appropriate quality standards applicable for
the in pharmaceutical manufacturing industries which when implemented will
allow manufacturers to operate robust, modern quality systems.

The objectives of the study were to:

Propose a model example of a quality system for a local pharmaceutical
manufacturing industry.

Determine the feasibility of implementation such a system for the
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry.

Explore the benefits of implementing such a system in manufacturing
Pharmaceuticals.

Quality of Pharmaceuticals in the local context.

As proved by some studies, developing countries are the most susceptible to
substandard, counterfeit, unregistered and adulterated pharmaceuticals because of
weak institutions for their quality control. Mauritius is a developing country with
about a population of 1.2 millions of inhabitants. As such, the population of
Mauritius can also be seen as a vulnerable one to such kinds of pharmaceutical
products.

Authorities concerned in Quality Control implementation in Mauritius

In Mauritius, aspects such as quality, importation, and so on, related to
pharmaceutical products are the concerned of the Ministry of Health and Quality of
Life, more precisely, the Pharmaceutical Services Unit comprising of the Pharmacy
board and various committees. The functions of the board and committees can be
found in the Pharmacy Act 1983 of Mauritius. According to the present senior
pharmacist, of the Pharmaceutical Services Unit, before a pharmaceutical
manufacturing industry starts to operate, it must be granted the WHO GMP –
ONLY Product Realization section certification (presently free of charge). This is
done by the GMP inspectors of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, which
comprised of 3 members, namely, the Director of Pharmaceutical Services Unit,
the senior pharmacist, and finally the Registrar. In Mauritius, GMP certification for
the pharmaceutical sector is still not an obligation as it is the case in USA and
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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

various other countries. Also, the implementation of GMP would be quite

expensive. Thus industries do not go for its certification. That is why in Mauritius
there is presently only one institution that runs programs for the whole elements
forming part of GMP for Pharmaceutical Products certification.

Facts concerning Pharmaceutical sector in Mauritius

Presently, the market of pharmaceutical products in Mauritius is estimated to be to
the tune of around Rs 1.5 Billion. The country has about 25 pharmaceutical trading
companies and two Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries in Mauritius, namely:

1. Mascareignes Pharmaceutical Manufacturing CO LTD,

This company produces generic pharmaceutical products both for local and
overseas market. It is actually into the implementation phase of ISO 9001:2000,
Quality Management System. However, it already complies with the WHO GMP
guideline for the product realization section. Not yet GMP certified.

2. Ajanta Pharma (Mauritius) LTD.

Ajanta Pharma (Mauritius) LTD manufactures generic drugs for the African
market since 1997, exporting mainly to French speaking African countries
including Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cameroon, D.R. Congo,
Madagascar and Comoro as well as supplies the local market. Ajanta Pharma is
already ISO 9001:2000 certified. It has also been inspected, audited and approved
its manufacturing facility for compliance with WHO GMP by Ministry of Health
delegations from several countries and have registered its product for safety,
quality and efficacy. (Mauritius Investment Opportunities, 2007.)

Setting up of a Quality Control Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Products.

The Quality aspects of pharmaceutical products have become a must for our
country nowadays due to worldwide market competition. Furthermore, the
Mauritian population has become a more quality conscious one due to better
knowledge related to quality issues. Hence, the Ministry of Health and Quality of
Life has recently initiated the project of setting up the first quality control
laboratory of the island for the testing of new and suspicious pharmaceutical
products. Presently, the latter is sent to South Africa for testing. This project will
help in improving the pharmaceutical sector, also, it will reduce costs and time
taken for the testing of pharmaceuticals as tests will be carried out locally.

Some of the objectives of the Quality Control Laboratory are to:

(a) Ensure that drugs procured are of the required quality;
(b) Serve as a technical backup to the licensing of new drugs and generics;
(c) Foster confidence in generic drugs amongst prescribers and enable the
eventual implementation of generic substitution in private pharmacies;
(d) Prevent and combat the scourge of counterfeit drugs;
(e) Assist in the setting up and development of pharmaceutical
manufacturing industries in Mauritius; and
(f) Assist in the setting up of Contract Research Outsourcing companies in
the field of pharmaceutical products in Mauritius. (Government of
Mauritius Cabinet Decision, 2006).
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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Background of quality systems in Pharmaceutical industries

Pharmaceutical Industries are complex ones and great attention to the processes
involved in the manufacture of a medicinal product should be primordial as, any
slight error may be fatal to the ones consuming it. Examples of tragedies that had
been engraved in the pharmaceutics manufacturing history are:

In USA, Sulphanilamide Elixer (a pharmaceutical product) sold as a

powder was changed to an oral liquid by making use of Diethylene Glycol,
which is an aircraft antifreeze . This caused 107 deaths in 1937 due to renal
failures. The victims were mainly children. The manufacturer paid a fine of
only $26 000 and this incident led to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
1938.

In Haiti, 1996, Paracetamol pediatric syrup was contaminated by the
glycerol used. The latter contained 26 % diethylene glycol, causing the
death of 59 children due to acute kidney failure.

Quality system in the Pharmaceutical Industry consists of implementing the best

Quality Management System within the industry. In so doing, one would need to
implement ISO 9001:2008 and the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for
Pharmaceuticals in order to have the assurance that pharmaceutical products are
consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate for their
intended use and as required by marketing authorization. However, the
International Conference for Harmonisation has recently introduced a guideline
known as ICH Q10 which has as its foundation both ISO 9001:2000 standards and
GMP.

ISO 9001:2000 - Scope for a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry

The standard can also be used for the Drug industry and its purpose in this case
will be to demonstrate its ability to provide a pharmaceutical product that meets
customer and regulatory requirements and achieves customer satisfaction. This
purpose is accomplished by evaluating and continually improving the system,
rather than the product. The requirements of the standard are intended to be
applicable to all types and sizes of pharmaceutical organizations.

Quality Assurance of Pharmaceutical Products

Quality Assurance is an important requirement governing the testing of chemicals
to obtain appropriate information on their properties and ensuring safety with
respect to human health and the environment. Within an organization, quality
assurance serves as a management tool. In contractual situations, quality assurance
also serves to generate confidence in the supplier.

The manufacturer must assume responsibility for the quality of the pharmaceutical
products to ensure that they are fit for their intended use, comply with the
requirements of the marketing authorization and do not place patients at risk due to
inadequate safety, quality or efficacy. The attainment of this quality objective is the
responsibility of senior management and requires the participation and
commitment of staff in many different departments and at all levels within the
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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

company, the company’s suppliers, and the distributors. To achieve the quality
objective reliably there must be a comprehensively designed and correctly
implemented system of quality assurance incorporating GMP and quality control. It
should be fully documented and its effectiveness monitored. All parts of the quality
assurance system should be adequately staffed with competent personnel, and
should have suitable and sufficient premises, equipment, and facilities.

The concepts of quality assurance, GMP and quality control are interrelated aspects
of quality management.

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for Pharmaceutical Products.

Good Manufacturing Practice is that part of quality assurance which ensures that
products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards
appropriate for their intended use and as required by the marketing authorization.
GMP is concerned with both production and quality control. It is aimed primarily
at diminishing the risks inherent in any pharmaceutical production. Such risks are
essentially of two types:
a) cross-contamination (in particular of unexpected contaminants) and
b) Mix-ups (confusion) caused by, for example, false labels being put on
containers.

Six-system Inspection Model for a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry.

Figure 1 shows the relationship among the six pharmaceutical manufacturing
systems: the quality system and the five manufacturing systems. The quality
system provides the foundation for the manufacturing systems that are linked and
function within it.

Figure 1 Six System Inspection Approach

[Source FDA, Pharmaceutical GMP

regulations, 2004]

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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Some examples of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Requirements:

Under GMP:
 all manufacturing processes are clearly defined, systematically reviewed in
the light of experience, and shown to be capable of consistently
manufacturing pharmaceutical products of the required quality that
comply with their specifications;
 instructions and procedures are written in clear and unambiguous
language, specifically applicable to the facilities provided;
 records are made (manually and/or by recording instruments) during
manufacture to show that all the steps required by the defined procedures
and instructions have in fact been taken and that the quantity and quality
of the product are as expected; any significant deviations are fully
recorded and investigated;
 the proper storage and distribution of the products minimizes any risk to
their quality;
 A system is available to recall any batch of product from sale or supply;
complaints about marketed products are examined, the causes of quality
defects investigated, and appropriate measures taken in respect of the
defective products to prevent re-occurrence.

Integrating GMPs into an ISO 9001:2000 Quality System Program

On the surface, Good Manufacturing Practices and other standards may appear
redundant and overwhelming. Although ISO 9001 standards remain the foundation
for good quality systems and provide documented methods for demonstrating value
to customers, ISO quality standards are currently voluntary and there is no
ramification or penalty for noncompliance to the standard, other than potential
breach of contract with a customer or loss of business. In contrary, various
governmental agencies e.g., US FDA and Canada’s HPFB can and do enforce
compliance to GMPs, thus differentiating them from ISO standards, and elevating
their relative importance. Similar trends are currently underway with other
governments in Europe and Asia. Figure 2 shows some examples of areas where
additional GMP criteria should be considered for materials being targeted for
pharmaceutical applications.

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

Figure 2
(Source: http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit.pdf)

PHARMACEUTICAL QUALITY SYSTEM- ICH Q10

ICH Q10 gives the description of one comprehensive approach to an effective
pharmaceutical quality system having as basis the ISO concepts, including relevant
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulations and completes ICH Q8-
Pharmaceutical Development, and ICH Q9- Quality Risk Management. ICH Q10,
the model for a pharmaceutical quality system, can be implemented throughout the
different periods of a product lifecycle. Much of the content of ICH Q10 relevant
to manufacturing areas is currently mentioned expressly by regional GMP
requirements. ICH Q10 is not designed to create any new expectations beyond
current regulatory requirements. Consequently, the content of ICH Q10 that is
additional to current GMP requirements is optional.
ICH Q10 shows industry and regulatory authorities’ interest of providing an
effective pharmaceutical quality system to enhance the quality and availability of
pharmaceutical products around the world in the interest of public health.
442
Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Implementing ICH Q10 throughout the product lifecycle should ease innovation
and continual improvement and strengthen the link between pharmaceutical
development and manufacturing activities.
The product lifecycle usually includes the following technical activities for new
and existing products:
 Pharmaceutical Development
 Technology Transfer
 Manufacturing
 Product discontinuation

The ICH Q10 Objectives are to

• Achieve Product Realization ;
• Establish and Maintain a State of Control;
• Facilitate Continual Improvement

Guidance and regulations

Important institutions, which regulate or guide actors in the European
pharmaceutical industry in designing their quality systems:
(1) Good Manufacturing Practices – GMP;
(2) World health organization- WHO;
(3) EU legislation on manufacture

There are three directives that guide pharmaceutical manufacturers.

(i) Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament;
(ii) European Commission Directives 91/356/EEC and
(iii) Directives 91/412/EEC (medical products for veterinary use)

Hazard and Risk Analysis in Pharmaceutical Products.

Traditionally, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
methodology has been considered to be a food safety management system. It aims
to prevent known hazards and to reduce the risks that they will occur at specific
points in the food chain. The same principles are also increasingly being applied in
other industries, such as the pharmaceutical industry, car industry, aviation and the
chemical industry.

Hazards affecting quality are controlled to a certain extent through the validation of
critical operations and processes in the manufacture of finished pharmaceutical
products in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). However,
GMP does not cover the safety of the personnel engaged in manufacture, while
both aspects are covered by HACCP. Procedures, including GMP, address
operational conditions and provide the basis for HACCP. HACCP is a systematic
method for the identification, assessment and control of safety hazards. Such
hazards are defined as biological, chemical, or physical agents or operations that
are reasonably likely to cause illness or injury if not controlled. In the manufacture
of pharmaceuticals, these may include the manufacture of certain antibiotics,

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

hormones, cytotoxic substances or other highly active pharmaceuticals, together

with operations such as fluid-bed drying and granulation, which are examples of
hazard unit operations. The use of inflammable solvents (solutions) and certain
laboratory operations may also constitute hazards.

METHODOLOGY

Research strategy
Intensive research had been carried out on quality aspects related to the
pharmaceutical manufacturing industries from the net, books, responsible
authorities and pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. The research was mostly
oriented towards Good Manufacturing Practices applicable to such an industry.

Data collection for this study

Data has been collected from sources like GMPs websites, books, pharmaceutical
company, journals, Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, some concerned
authorities, and certification bodies such as Mauritas and MSB.

The first study was a survey carried out to understand to what extent our
population is concerned with the quality standards of locally marketed medicinal
products and to have the perceptions of Pharmacists and of the general public on
quality of medicinal products.

Secondly a Case Study was analysed to understand the requirement for

implementing a Quality Systems in the manufacture of a Pharmaceutical product.
The case example chosen for this study was for the manufacture of Paracetamol. A
survey was also carried out on the manufacture of Paracetamol.

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 Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Methodology to identify the quality requirements of pharmaceuticals in Mauritius

Data Distributed
Collection on to
Surveys Pharmacists

Questionnaires
Survey Collection
Methodology Targeted Development
Population Of Survey Discussion &
Design Questions Conclusions
Based on
Analysis and Results
Computing
Evaluation of Of Results
Quality
Requirements

Representation
Of results on
Figure 3: Steps involved in the survey Bar Charts

Primary data was collected by sample surveys from about twenty pharmacies and
eighty interviews from the general public. Visits to private pharmacies, few
hospital pharmacies and to consumers from different part of the island were carried
out. In some cases, face to face interviews with the pharmacists were possible
while they were filling the survey.

Visits of consumers were carried out to different geographically situated offices of

some relatives and permission for leaving some questionnaires to the personnel
was done. Filled questionnaires were also recovered from participants.

Classification of Target Population

Since different point of views were required for the survey concerning the

quality of pharmaceuticals, data were gathered from two categories of

people, that is,

 Retailers and

 Customers.

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

Pharmacists were also classified as the retailers of pharmaceutical products, thus

they are directly involved in the marketing of pharmaceutical products. Therefore,
their opinion on the quality standards requirement for medicinal products would be
quite different from that of a patient. Also, pharmacists have a better knowledge of
the subject since they are directly associated to it.

Consumers of medicinal products are patients looking for some treatment. Their
opinion on the quality requirements of those products were collected and compared
to that of a pharmacist.

Strategy of survey sampling

Surveys on people from different part of the island was first carried out so as to
have a wider range of opinion for better survey results, as it is believed that people
from rural and urban areas might have some different point of views on quality of
medicinal products due to lack of knowledge, poverty, and so on.

Sampling has been done for about three weeks over quite a large number of people
so as to have a more accurate result.

Objectives of collecting data from survey questionnaires

Results and findings would be used to build a model for implementation of
GMP for pharmaceutical manufacturing industries.

Also for the survey on Paracetamol, findings would help in better meeting
customer satisfaction for Paracetamol products for the fictitious case study.

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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

RESULTS A=D DISCUSSIO=S

Comparison of GMP and ISO

It can be found that there are various differences between GMP and ISO standards.
The table below shows these differences:

Table 1: Comparison of GMP and ISO

ISO GMP

Objectives Customer Satisfaction Customer Protection

Binding =ature Voluntary Legally Binding

Supervision Neutral Institution Health Authority

Degree of Detail General Detailed

Type of Business All Businesses Pharma Specific

Main Emphasis System Related Product Related

Standards Own Standards Legally set Standards

(Source: FDA and GMP compliance in QA Units, 2000)

Therefore, to have an excellent quality system, it would be better for a

pharmaceutical industry to implement both GMP and ISO standards as each of
them has their own functions. Or, one can simply implement ICH Q10 in his
industry since the latter has as basis both GMP and ISO standards. After
implementation, regular internal auditing by trained employees of the industry and
external auditing by competent inspectors of regulatory bodies should be carried
out in order for continually improving and controlling the quality systems
implemented.

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

Analysis of Survey Results

Pharmacists Consumers

Quality Of Pharm aceuticals Produced locally Quality of Pharmaceuticals produced

Locally

Quite Good Bad

Quality
Good Quality Quite Good
Good

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

% of Pharmacists % of Mauritians

Figure 4 Quality of pharmaceuticals produced locally Figure 5 Quality of pharmaceuticals produced locally

• Quality of medicines produced locally is • Quality of medicines produced locally is

seen as quite good. seen as quite good because:
• Improvement could be made. Government • They think that raw materials come from
should encourage existing pharmaceutical abroad- not a good reasoning as they might
manufacturing industries to implement not be pure and of good quality, hence they
GMP and GLP which are more Pharma should firstly undergo quality tests.
specific

Pharmacists Consumers

Satisfaction with the Quality of Marketed Satisfaction with The Quality of Marketed
Pharmaceuticals in Mauritius Pharmaceuticals In Mauritius

Not Satisf ied Not Satisfied

Satisf action Satisfaction
Satisf ied Satisf ied

0% 50% 100% 0% 50% 100%

% of Pharm acists % Of Mauritians

Figure 6 Satisfaction with quality of marketed pharmaceuticals Figure 7 Satisfaction with quality of marketed pharmaceuticals
• 70 % of the public are satisfied with the
• 80% satisfied with marketed Pharma products
marketed products and they gave the same
because:
reason as the pharmacists.
• Part of them come from high quality standard
• However, 30% are not satisfied because they
companies from overseas
found that a majority of the marketed
• However, they feared that some of the generic
pharmaceuticals come from less quality
products (which are much cheaper) marketed in
recognized countries and are not enough
Mauritius come from less quality strict countries
efficient. Also, they do not trust those
and that they believe that these products are of448
products and usually avoid buying them.
inferior quality, hence do not treat efficiently.
 Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Pharmacists Consumers

Most Important Factors for Most Important Factors for

Pharmaceuticals to be of Quality Pharmaceuticals to be of Quality

Price Price
Factors ISO certif ied Factors ISO Certif ied
Ef f icacy Eff icacy

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 0% 20% 40% 60%

% of Pharm acists % of Mauritians

Figure 8 Factors for pharmaceuticals to be of quality Figure 9 Factors for pharmaceuticals to be of quality

• Efficacy has been firstly chosen because From above, it can be found that efficacy, followed by
pharmaceuticals are taken for treatment and the
ISO certification and prices are the most important
pharmacists believe that to cure a patient rapidly,
they shall be very efficient. factors for the public. They say that they believe that
• Due to many fraud cases in pharmaceuticals products treating rapidly and efficiently must be of
manufacturing and counterfeiting of medicines,
ISO certification is viewed as another important excellent quality. Furthermore, ISO certification as
parameter. they trust the ISO standards and can therefore be
• For products to achieve quality requirements,
several tests are carried out before they are being quality assured of these products.
marketed, thus the manufacturing costs of these
pharmaceutical products have the tendency to
increase, resulting in high selling price.
Case Study analysis

Quality Systems for the manufacture of a Pharmaceutical product

Introduction
The name Waypharma was given to this fictitious Paracetamol manufacturing
industry. It is seen as a major player in the Mauritian generic Paracetamol market
since 2006. The company’s vision is to be the leading company in the sales,
development and manufacturing of Paracetamol products and other quality generic
pharmaceuticals in the regional markets. The industry’s group employs about 165
workers and is headquartered in Mauritius and has manufacturing facilities both in
Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Objectives of Company
The core objectives of the company are to provide reliable Paracetamol tablets to
customers within reasonable time frame and to ensure that all products are of good
quality and affordable price.

Strategy for Quality Systems Implementation.

In 2005, before starting Paracetamol tablets manufacturing, the company carried
out surveys concerning Paracetamol products, touching a wide range of Mauritian.

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

The survey was made in order to meet customers’ demand on the quality of the
Paracetamol manufactured. Also, particular attention was made to the design of the
packaging, forms and dosage of the Paracetamol products as to be able to provide
products of quality; surveys must be done in order to obtain customers’
expectations before starting business.

Findings from Analysis of Case Study Company

A market survey was carried out for the manufacture of Paracetamol in the island.
Results obtained indicated that 90% of consumers prefer insoluble Paracetamol
products and syrup type is the least preferred. Results further indicated that
consumers found it most practical and easier to handle Paracetamol tablets instead
of a bottle of syrup or having to carry a cup in order to use the soluble ones. Also,
blister packaging is the most demanding one. This is because this type of
packaging is more protective than the strip package and that it is most practical and
handy than a plastic box. Furthermore, the preferred shape is the round one as
customers find that it is easier for swallowing. Concerning the dosage preferred by
participants, it was observed that the 500mg is the one. They probably chose the
500mg one because it can be easily controlled, that is, if one member of the family
used to take 500mg Paracetamol tablet and that another one takes 1000mg, it is
easier for the one having to take 1000mg to take two tablets instead of one. Finally,
it was observed that out of 50 persons, only 3 knew what has to be done in case of
a Paracetamol overdose.

Finally after analyzing results of the market survey, management reviewed its
processes and decided that the industry would manufacture round shape
Paracetamol tablets of 500mg and that the type of packing to be used would be the
blister one. Also, the company decided to create necessary awareness in case of
Paracetamol overdose. The label information provided was improved by providing
more information for the dosage limit. Also, a hotline number would be introduced
on every blister packing in case of emergency.

Some facts concerning the present quality system of the fictitious industry:
• It has its own quality systems based on the company’s quality manual
• It does not have any certification or accreditation for its current quality
system.
• Raw materials and finished products undergo tests based on British and
International Pharmacopeias.
• A few of its employees are qualified workers and they are the ones who train
new employees.
• The industry has now a system for documentation. Relevant records
concerning processes and products are kept on hard copies and are also
computerized.

Conclusion
Overall, from the study of the quality systems of pharmaceutical manufacturing
industries, the conclusion that can be made is that quality of products from this
type of industry is a very important issue. This is because lives of billions and
billions of human beings are concerned. A slight error such as a wrong labeling of
medicines can cause the death of hundreds of people. As such, implementing a
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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

good quality system shall be the priority of anyone wanting to set up this type of
industry. Also, concerned organizations and government authorities shall make
sure that quality aspects are followed by these industries. Moreover, governments
shall be more severe on corruption and fraud issues occurring in this sector in order
to discourage evil minded persons from putting the lives of innocents in danger.
Pharmaceutical counterfeiting is more and more a public health problem, especially
in developing countries where the most counterfeit drugs are antibiotics,
antimalarials and other life-saving drugs. As such, Mauritius, a developing country
can be seen as vulnerable to counterfeit products. A majority of Mauritian still
cannot afford having a good quality of life due to insufficient revenue and lack of
education. So, you can imagine that buying good quality standard, efficient and
safe medicines for treating a disease is practically impossible since quality
pharmaceutical products coming from high quality standard countries are quite
expensive. Thus, this part of the Mauritian population may be exposed to
counterfeit products which are most of the time cheaper than recommended ones.
From the survey made, pharmacists stated that, in Mauritius, there is presently not
enough emphasis from regulatory authorities upon the quality standards of
imported medicines. Also, there are no specific authorities that regulate the quality
of pharmaceutical products, like the Food and Drug Administration in USA.
Furthermore, importation of pharmaceuticals in our country is firstly a business
matter for importers instead of being a quality one. This means that products are
being bought according to their prices in detriment of products’ quality assurance.
Finally, to conclude, pharmaceutical manufacturing companies would be
encouraged to incorporate Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) into their
processes although it is quite an expensive implementation, their quality systems
would become a more robust and modern one. Thus, with time, their profit would
flourish and everyone, manufacturers and consumers would benefit from such
systems.

Recommendations for a Model for Implementing a GMP System.

Although the fictitious Paracetamol manufacturing industry is not adhered to any
recognized quality certification or accreditation, it has got its own basic quality
systems concerning products manufacturing, documentation, records and so on.
However there are some gaps in their quality system and implementing GMP will
definitely help the company to have a more robust and modern quality system.
A few examples of quality gaps of the industry analyzed against GMP
requirements:
• The company does not have a well organized system for product recalls
from sale or supply.
• The company does not have a system to deal with complaints about
marketed products. The latter should be examined and causes of quality
defects investigated, and appropriate measures taken in respect of the
defective products to prevent recurrence.
• It does not have an outstanding record and documentation systems covering
manufacture and distribution, which enable the complete history of a batch
to be traced.
• Key elements of a qualification and validation programme should be clearly
defined and documented in a validation master plan.

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 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

• Report should be made after regular self inspections and quality audits.
• The company should provide continuing training to its personnel and
specific training should be carried out for workers dealing with hazardous
materials.
• Weighing areas should be made in a dust controlled unit.

Therefore, based on the findings and results obtained, a model for the
implementation of a quality pharmaceutical system adapted from WHO GMP
standard guidelines is recommended for this industry to cater for these gaps.
Following is a schematic pathway has been designed for this industry to achieve
GMP certification.

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Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

Creating awareness of fictitious industry’s personnel to

WHO GMP guidelines

Setting up of a QMS based on WHO GMP guidelines

Management conducts a preliminary investigation to

determine what requirements are involved.

Setting up of a better Quality Department comprising of

Quality control lab, quality control, quality assurance and
laboratory services. Quality manager would be responsible
of that department.

Secondly,

Factors missing are described

Review of the quality policy,

Compilation of a GMP management manual.

Submission of GMP manual to the certification institution

for revision and highlighting of areas requiring particular
attention and modification.

GMP Manual Changes and/or

Good? modification made
to GMP Manual
NO

YES

Assessment Test by certification institution to

verify if the company’s elements meet the
requirements set in the WHO GMP guideline.

453

Figure 10: Stages towards GMP certification of fictitious industry

 C. L. S. Chan Wan Kai & F. Khodabocus

The GMP elements referred to are:

• Sanitation and hygiene,

• Qualification and validation,
• Complaints,
• Product recalls,
• Contract production and analysis,
• Self-inspection and quality audits,
• Personnel,
• Training,
• Personal hygiene,
• Premises and Equipment,
• Materials,
• Documentation,
• Good practices in production and Good practices in quality control issues.
(WHO Quality assurance of pharmaceuticals GMP practices, 2003)

Estimated Costing of GMP Implementation

GMP implementation costing would not be a constant one for any pharmaceutical
industries. This is because the implementation depends on various factors such as,
types of pharmaceutical products being manufactured, extent of activities, number
of personnel, sizes of industries amongst others. However, an estimated cost of
converting a standard production line to GMP status would be between 6 - 30
million USD depending on company’s size. (Achemasia, 2006)

Also, the costs consist of application fee, assessments, triennial registration

certificate and other expenses related to certification for achieving GMP
certification would be approximately between 250- 350 thousand Mauritian
rupees for a period of 3years, after which, renewal of certification and continuous
assessment should be again accounted for. Those figures have been estimated
based on the schedule of fees for MS ISO 9001:2000 (March 2002) of the
Mauritius Standards Bureau.

454
Quality Systems in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industries

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