Pharmaceuticals evaluation guidelines

Progress in drug delivery systems and new proteins/ peptides being developed for parenteral administration has created a need to expand the list of excipients that can be safely used. An informational chapter included in the USP 24, presents a scientifically based approach for safety assessment of new pharmaceutical excipi-ents.f This chapter is based on the excipient safety evaluation guidelines prepared by The Safety Committee of the International Pharmaceutical Excipient Council, with appropriate reaction. Table 14 summarizes the approach in developing a new excipient. 

As vith human pharmaceuticals, all safety studies must be conducted in accordance vdth the principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). Similar to the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH), the Veterinary International Conference on Harmonisation (VICH) has developed agreed guidelines on the types of test and other considerations that need to be addressed during the development and evaluation of veterinary medicines. A list ofVICH guideline topics is provided in Table 7.1. 

Australia has a formal process for adopting European guidelines for drug development and evaluation, including the ICH guidelines. It also has bilateral agreements with a number of countries, and its membership of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention allows it to exchange GMP information with other members. 

A guideline for evaluation of the photostability of new drug substances and dosage forms was published in 1997 [39]. Subsequently, a joint study was undertaken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America to evaluate the ICF1 guideline. A draft chapter for the United States Pharmacopeia, based on the guideline and the joint study, has been published in Pharmacopeial Forum [40]. 

Langley, P. (1996), The November 1995 revised Australian guidelines for the economic evaluation of pharmaceuticals , PharmacoEconomics, 9, 341-52. 

Guidelines for Chemical Reaction Hazard Evaluation, The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, London, England (1989). 

In addition to rodent studies, regulatory guidelines for pharmaceuticals require that repeated dose safety studies of up to nine months (in the United States, six months elsewhere) in duration be conducted in a nonrodent species. The most commonly used nonrodent species is the dog, followed by the monkey and pig. Another nonrodent model used to a limited extent in systemic safety evaluation is the ferret. The major objectives of this chapter are (1) to discuss differences in rodent and nonrodent experimental design, (2) to examine the feasibility of using the dog, monkey, pig, and ferret in safety assessment testing, and (3) to identify the advantages and limitations associated with each species. 

The upshot of these points is that it may not be practical to follow established guidelines for ADME evaluation. Binding proteins, immunoreactive metabolites and antibodies could interfere with the immunoassays used to measure the activity of biotechnologically derived pharmaceuticals. The link between immunoreactivity and... 

Clinical evaluation of QT/QTc prolongation and proarrhythmic potential for nonantiarrhythmic drugs the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use E14 guideline. Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 46, 498-507. 

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