SOP on In-Process and Finished Goods Testing
Objective : To lay down a procedure for In-Process and Finished Goods Testing.
Scope : This standard operating procedure is applicable at formulation plant.
Responsibility
IPQA Officer shall be responsible for sampling of the in-process and finished products.
QC Officer/Executives shall be responsible for testing in-process and finished products.
Analyst-QC shall be responsible for preparing the trend analysis report for the products.
Head-QA/QC or designee shall be responsible for review of trends of the products, implementation and compliance of this SOP.
Abbreviations and Definitions
IPQA : In-Process Quality Assurance
GTPs : General testing procedure
Spec/STPs : Specifications/Standard testing procedures
COA : Certificate of Analysis
SOP : Standard operating procedure
Procedure :
The sampling shall be done as per SOP titled ‘Sampling of In-process Materials and Finished Products’
Testing shall be done as per approved Specifications/ STPs/ GTPs.
Testing of In-process materials shall be undertaken with following concept.
In-process materials shall be tested as per the specifications/STPs as applicable stage wise i.e. S1 stage (granules/ bulk solution/medicament), S2 stage (uncoated tablets/ ready-to pack stage in case of uncoated tablets/ capsules /or any other formulation), S3 stage (coated tablets/ ready-to-pack stage of coated tablets /or any other formulation)
For Solid dosage forms first ten (10) batches shall be tested for complete testing as indicated in respective spec. /STPs/GTPs at different stages (all in-process stages and minimum five batches in case of finished product stage), as applicable marketwise and trend analysis data shall be prepared for in-process stages by QC personnel.
For Liquid/Semi solid dosage forms first twenty (20) batches shall be tested for complete testing as indicated in their respective spec./STPs at different stages (all in-process stages and minimum ten batches for finished product stage) and trend analysis data shall be prepared for in-process stages by QC personnel
Note: For Liquids/Semi solids all batches shall be subjected to microbiological testing as per approved GTPs. Batches shall be released as per approved specifications.
QC personnel shall send the request to QA detailing of summary of trend analysis of the product along with the trend analysis data.
QA shall make comparative evaluations on different stages. Subsequent testing shall be planned in following manner afterwards.
QA personnel shall evaluate the trend. If not satisfied with the trend on critical test parameter(s), the investigation on out-of-trend data shall be undertaken involving representatives from different departments like QC, Production and Stores, by QA. In such condition, subsequent testing on the critical test parameter(s) shall be continued at finished good testing stage unless the outcome is satisfactory.
If the trend is satisfactory,
The product in subsequent batches shall not be tested at S1, S2 and / or Ready to pack stage.
The test report / COA of finished product for release shall be prepared taking the analytical findings on similar tests from the test reports/ work sheets of ready-to-pack stage testing.
QA personnel shall prepare/modify the list as per the submissions of trends for different products by QC personnel’s and intimate IPQA personnel’s for the revised sampling plan.
Thereafter, every tenth (10th) batch shall be subjected to complete testing at all stages for physico-chemical as well as for microbiological testing. For example, if in financial year April 2025 to March 2026, 114 batches of Paracetamol tablets have been manufactured, then following batches shall be taken for complete testing: 01 to 10, 20, 30…………, 90.
First Batch/Lot of the product in every financial year shall be subjected to complete testing afterwards the same procedure shall be followed for testing.
In case of process deviation or any other deviation and/ or in view of any out-of-specification investigation undertaken during the manufacture of the product, the testing at finished stage shall be in the discretion of quality assurance department using good scientific logics, for those batches which have been planned not to be tested at finished stage.
Note: At any stage Head-QA/Designee shall send any particular batch for complete testing.
In case, where packaging is being done for different pack styles e.g. sales pack or physician pack and/or for different markets, the testing shall be done once i.e. only on one pack size unless the relevant spec/STP applicable for that pack type has different test parameter. The philosophy of testing shall be batch-wise not pack-type-wise, at finished testing stage.
In case of liquid products, Deliverable volume determination shall be done by IPQA, and a copy of results shall be forwarded to QC department for incorporating the same results in the final release COA of that particular product.