title: A risk-based auditing process for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
abstract: The purpose of this article is to share ideas on developing a risk-based model for the scheduling of audits (both internal and external). Audits are a key element of a manufacturer's quality system and provide an independent means of evaluating the manufacturer's or the supplier/vendor's compliance status. Suggestions for risk-based scheduling approaches are discussed in the article.
  Pharmaceutical manufacturers are required to establish and implement a quality system. The quality system is an organizational structure defining responsibilities, procedures, processes, and resources that the manufacturer has established to ensure quality throughout the manufacturing process. Audits are a component of the manufacturer's quality system and provide a systematic and an independent means of evaluating the manufacturer's overall quality system and compliance status. Audits are performed at defined intervals for a specified duration. The intention of the audit process is to focus on key areas within the quality system and may not cover all relevant areas during each audit. In this article, the authors provide suggestions for risk-based scheduling approaches to aid pharmaceutical manufacturers in identifying the key focus areas for an audit.
authors.affiliation: Amgen, Inc., Longmont, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vargo
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dana
authors.forename: Vijaya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rangavajhula
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rönninger
mesh_terms: D004345:Drug Industry / Q000592:standards*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017408:Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008330:Management Audit / Q000592:standards*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
keywords: Audit; Quality systems; Risk assessment; Risk factors; compliance