Michael Freeman, associate director and business unit head for lab services at Alcami, recently contributed to an article in Drug Development & Delivery titled Outsourcing Analytical Testing: Novel Services Elicit Consistent, Quantifiable, & Faster Results. In the article, Freeman explains how Alcami's end-to-end analytical testing platform supports client programs through every stage of a product's lifecycle, from early phase development activities to commercial support for both small and large molecule products.

A Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) agreement is a comprehensive analytical service that grants pharmaceutical and biotech companies the flexibility, freedom, and consistent control of their outsourced laboratory programs. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of establishing a FTE program with an outsourcing partner and examine the customized solutions that are available for a broad spectrum of testing needs.

Alcami’s Extended Workbench offering is a FTE program tailored to your specific needs. An Extended Workbench program can vary in size, management approach, and scope, and is available across any pharmaceutical platform, from small molecule API to biologic drug product. 

Alcami will support your companion animal health products with precise attention to quality by design and process development. We have experience advancing over 50 animal health products from concept through commercialization, with services ranging from analytical support to manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), oral solid dose (OSD) products, and sterile (liquid and lyophilized) products. 

Rapid sterility is an alternative test method to the US Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <71>, Ph.Eur. 2.6.1, and JP 4.06 sterility tests that allows for shorter incubation periods and faster results. A typical sterility test has 14 full days of incubation and uses analyst observations to generate results, whereas a rapid sterility test is reduced to just five days of incubation – a 64% reduction in processing time. Rapid sterility also incorporates more sophisticated, computer-generated results, which eliminate observation bias. Alcami utilizes the Milliflex^® Rapid System for the rapid sterility test, which uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence for detection of microorganisms after five days.

Abeona Therapeutics, Inc. is a fully-integrated gene and cell therapy company at the forefront of the rapidly-advancing field of genetic medicine. Their late-stage candidate, EB-101, is an autologous, ex-vivo, gene-corrected cell therapy poised to enter a Phase 3 clinical trial for Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB).

Read this case study to learn how Alcami's extensive experience with small and large molecule development services, regulatory compliance, and specialty techniques helpedensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of raw materials used in Abeona's EB-101 manufacturing batches.

Stability testing is a fundamental part of the drug development process— upholding the quality of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug products while also providing an accurate shelf life. Through stability testing, pharmaceutical companies are able to determine the most suitable packaging and/or container closure system for the storage and distribution of drug products.

“Stability storage and testing plays a big part in the drug development process from research and development up to commercialization and beyond,” said Alcami Senior Manager of Stability Services, Scott Jedrey. “Testing throughout each phase, whether it is physical or chemical, allows data to be gathered, trended, and reviewed. Based on the data, decisions are made on whether to move forward to the next phase, which includes more testing and more patients in several clinical trials. The product must possess the purity, potency, and safety throughout each phase of the drug development process in order to obtain that very important agency approval.”

Alcami’s St. Louis, Missouri Center of Excellence for advanced analytical testing was issued a Certificate of Compliance by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Tuesday, April 23, 2019, following the facility’s recent successful Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection. Certification confirms the site is compliant with GMP laboratory storage and testing practices, and enables the laboratory to process more commercial products for the European Union (EU). The outcome reflects the company’s unwavering commitments to quality, reliability, responsible operations, and strict adherence to regulatory compliance.

Alcami recently contributed to a special feature in Drug Development and Delivery magazine titled "Outsourcing Analytical Testing: The Gateway to Drug Manufacturing."

Alcami: Customizing Programs to Meet Accelerated Product Timelines

Alcami is a CDMO that offers fully integrated, comprehensive analytical testing to support technologies for every stage of development. Its laboratory services platform is comprised of analytical testing and development services for small molecule and biologics drug products, as well as specialized offerings such as elemental impurities, abuse deterrence, and extractables and leachables. In addition, formulations development scientists address challenges related to new chemical entities.

Agency expectations are quickly evolving for the evaluation of drug product packaging and delivery systems and the surfaces used during manufacture with respect to potential leachables. Every new and generic drug product must be assessed for extractables and leachables (E&L). In this top five list, Alcami experts will address the extractables and leachables questions our experts hear most.

1. What is the difference between an extractable and a leachable?
   

   Extractables are compounds that can be extracted from a packaging component, delivery system, or manufacturing surface via laboratory manipulation, such as exposure to solvents or heat. Extractables can be potential leachables. Leachables are compounds that passively migrate into the drug product over time, as a result of direct contact from the packaging system, in-use componentry, or a manufacturing surface.
   
   

The new elemental impurities regulations stress the importance of controlling all sources of elemental impurities in drug products. The regulations also impact all upcoming and current commercial drug products for human use. To comply with these regulations, it is critical to have an efficient, cost-effective, and agency-accepted approach.

Elemental impurities can contaminate or leach into a drug product from multiple sources (i.e. drug substance, excipients, water, equipment, and container closure systems), therefore, it is no longer acceptable to monitor the inlet raw materials only. A conservative risk-based approach is recommended, which should address all potential sources of elemental impurities. If it can be demonstrated that the elemental impurities present in the drug product are under control (less than the control threshold for three lots), then analysis at release is not needed.