Microbial contamination of aseptically prepared pharmaceutical products will be considered but the methods presented can also be applied to various cleanroom healthcare products and other manufacturing activities. The mechanisms of microbial contamination explained are also applicable to inert particle contamination and the principles covered can also be utilised for this application.

This Honeyman Group course will provide an understanding of the fundamental mechanism of contamination transfer, via surface contact or from airborne deposition, and how this mechanism is used to provide the most accurate methods of assessing risk, defined as the number of microbes likely to be deposited into a product. All general sources of cleanroom contamination, their routes of transfer and the associated control methods will be discussed and a method of assessing their risks to product explained.

Further methods, to assess the risks to product from activities associated with a particular manufacturing process within the critical cleanroom areas, will be detailed. An understanding of how the identified risks, or their methods of control, can be monitored and limits set to ensure that contamination is adequately controlled are outlined. Additionally, a method for determining the risk to the patient, from aseptically manufactured products, by considering factors relating to the chance that it contains sufficient microbes to initiate an infection, will be presented.

Who Should Attend?

The course is suitable for personnel involved in the management and operation of cleanrooms including Production Managers and Supervisors, Quality Assurance, Microbiologists, Sterility Assurance Specialists, and Sterility Assurance Engineers.

Objectives

Delegates will be able to identify the sources of contamination, routes of transfer to the product and contamination control measures and apply this in their facility. The course will provide a scientific assessment of the fundamental mechanism of contamination transfer, via surface contact or from airborne deposition, and how this mechanism is used to provide the most accurate methods of assessing the risk of microbial contamination of product. Delegates will recognise how the identified risks or their methods of control can be monitored and limits set to ensure that contamination is adequately controlled are outlined. Delegates will recognise the advantages of using a quantitative system to assess and prioritise risk based on actual process data. Methods of periodic verification that the contamination system is under control will be presented. Delegates will participate in risk assessment workshops lead by industry experts to enhance learning and facilitate debate. Methodology will be presented to determine the microbial risk to the patient from aseptically prepared products.