Analytical Method Lifecycle Management in Pharmaceutical Industry: a Review

The adoption of Quality by Design (QbD) and Analytical Method Lifecycle Management (AMLM) concepts to ensure the quality of pharmaceutical products has been applied and proposed over the last few years. These concepts are based on knowledge gained from the application of scientific and quality risk management approaches, throughout method lifecycle to assure continuous improvement and high reliability of analytical results. The overall AMLM starts with the definition of the method's intended use through the Analytical Target Profile definition, including three stages: (1) Method Design, taking advantage of the well-known concept of QbD; (2) Method Performance Qualification; (3) Continued Method Performance Verification. This is intended to holistically align method variability with product requirements, increasing confidence in the data generated, a regulatory requirement that the pharmaceutical industry must follow. This approach views all method-related activities, such as development, validation, transfer, and routine use as a continuum and interrelated process, where knowledge and risk management are the key enablers. An increase in method robustness, cost reduction, and decreased risk failures are some of the intrinsic benefits from this lifecycle management. This approach is clearly acknowledged both by regulators and industry. The roadmap of the regulatory and industry events that mark the evolution of these concepts helps to capture the current and future expectation of the pharmaceutical framework.