sterilisation Flashcards
what are the different types of sterilisation methods
dry heat
moist heat autoclave, gravity steriliser
aseptic filtration
gamma irradiation
chemical sterilisation (ethylene oxide/ nitrous oxide, h2o2 fog)
lyophilisation
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of dry heat sterilisation method
specs: 180degC for 30min, 170degC for 1h, 160degC for 2h
advantages: destroys pyrogens
disadvantages: heat sensitivity
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of moist heat autoclave sterilisation method
specs: 121degC for 15mins
advantages: biological indicator to verify sufficient heat/ pressure
disadvantages: heat/ moisture sensitivity
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of aseptic filtration sterilisation method
specs: numerous fiber/ size load specs
advantages: filter integrity test to verify filter did not rupture
disadvantages: filter must be certified for volume and filtrate load
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of gamma irradiation sterilisation method
specs: requires very high radiation to be effective
advantages: containers and packaging may still be intact
disadvantages: not good for some heat sensitive
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of chemical sterilisation method
specs: depending on gas used - different saturation and permeation
advantage: less invasive, good for heat sensitive
disadvantage: compatibility issues, require tight wrap to avoid leaks, contaminates adjacent areas
what are the specifications, advantages and disadvantages of lyophilisation sterilisation method
specs: multi step process
advantage: ease of processing a liquid, stability
disadvantage: expensive, requires sterile diluent
what is meant by aseptic process simulation
method of validating an aseptic process using a microbiological growth medium as substitute for product and employing method that closely approximate those used during the drug product process
what are the two types of aseptic process simulation
FDA and EU
what is the process of the FDA aseptic process simulation
validated using microbiological growth medium in place of product
includes exposing microbiological growth medium to product contact surfaces of equipment, container systems, critical environments and process manipulations in order to closely simulate same exposure
what is the process of the EU aseptic process simulation
validated using nutrient medium
imitate as closely as possible the routine aseptic manufacturing process and include all critical subsequent manufacturing steps, should also take into account various interventions known to occur during normal production as well as worst case scenarios
what is the importance of APS and its disadvantages
importance of APS:
1. fundamental to validate the aseptic process globally
2. important to assess machine assembly, standard interventions, handling and storage of components, surrounding environment, number of personnel and their activities, length of production
3. useful to understand process and define routine procedures
4. powerful or weak depending on its design and interpretation of results
disadvantages:
1. not enough to evaluate whole process as it is a point in time
2. not a QA method and thus need full validation of all sub processes
3. need risk assessment and worst case scenarios for evaluation
what are the characteristics of aseptic filtration
performed using a 0.22microm filter, applied to thermolable objects, can be used to remove pyrogens, process of removing microorganisms from fluid stream without adversely affecting product, at min. conc of 10^7 CFU/cm2
what is the difference between microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis
microfiltration: 0.1-1.0microm pore, 0.1-5bar pressure, virus, multi and divalent ions and water pass through
ultrafiltration: 0.01 to 1.0microm pore, 0.1-5bar pressure, multi and divalent ions and water pass through
nanofiltration: 0.001 to 0.1microm pore, 8-40bar pressure, some multi valent, divalent ions and water pass through
reverse osmosis: 0.001microm, 30-85bar pressure, only water pass through
what is meant by the term lyophilisation
freeze drying, process in which water is removed from a product after it is frozen and placed under a vacuum, allowing the ice to change from solid to vapor without passing through a liquid phase
what are the steps in lyophilisation sterilisation process
- dissolve drug and excipients in a suitable solvent, generally water for injection (may need buffer to change pH)
- sterilise bulk solution by passing it through a 0.22microm bacteria retentive filter
- fill into individual sterile containers and partially stoppering the containers under aseptic conditions
- transport partially stoppering containers to lyophiliser and load into chamber under aseptic conditions
- freeze the solution by placing the partially stoppered containers into freeze drying chamber or prefeezing in another chamber
- apply vacuum and heat the shelves in order to evaporate water from frozen state
- complete stoppering of vials usually by hydraulic or screw rod stoppering mechanism installed in lyophilisers
why are containers in lyophilisation process partially stoppered
to decr amount of air going in and out and decr the amount of possible contamination
why are containers in lyophilisation process stoppered in low humidity
to maintain stability of product
what are the main stages in the lyophilisation process
freezing, primary drying (sublimation), secondary drying (desorption)
what are the considerations in each of the main stages of the lyophilisation process
freezing: quick freezing of a small volume, crystal size may affect final product, speed of this process can change crystallinity of compound, some substances may have polymorphism (two different crystal sizes that behave differently), if not cold enough may still have water inside
primary drying (sublimation): drying under vacuum, endpoint is when temp starts rising (temp will be stable then start incr which is point where it is starting to heat product), if not hot enough sublimation may not occur thus there will still be water in product
secondary drying (desorption): under vacuum, endpoint is when water content <1%
what is the process of aseptic simulation for liquids
compounding/ solution preparation
1. buffer used instead of final product
2. buffer sterilised
3. buffer come into contact with all surfaces involved in process
4. routine test like filter functionality assessment, holding time, sampling
filling:
1. container, caps and equipment must be cleaned and sterilised
2. buffer should come into contact with whole container and cap through shaking
3. container must be transparent to allow inspection (except photosensitive compounds)
4. size of container must be consistent with product and process
what is the process of aseptic simulation for lyophilisation
filling:
1. filled with buffer and loaded on the lyostat, vacuum applied could be comparable or less than the real one for the same time of the real process
2. lower vacuum and time
what is clean-in-place/ sterilisation-in-place (SIP)
consolidated practice, setup can be performed before sterilisation, long holding times can produce product sticking, product formulation is usually prepared just before filling, batch dimension can be limited by storage tank size
what is the process of aseptic simulation for powders
filling:
1. filling machine can do two consecutive filling (powder and medium or placebo and medium)
2. medium should be enough to dissolve powder
3. possible contamination
filling -> growth and sterilised (using steam, filtration or radiation) -> growth promotion test and sterility verification -> visual inspection
what is the characteristics of the placebo used in aseptic simulation for powders
mechanical properties similar to final product, easy to sterilise (validate method), soluble in medium (lactose, mannitol, PEG, NaCl), no effect on medium in growth promotion test
what is the characteristics of the negative control used in aseptic simulation for powders
medium without placebo
what is the key points of in aseptic simulation for powders
- CIP/SIP not applicable
- dose/QC parts are aseptically assembled
- set up longer than for liquid
- blending usually prepared offline
- batch dimension not limitation
- presence of powder requires interventions for cleaning
- machine turning may require human intervention
what are the corresponding growth mediums for each type of microorganisms
aerobic, fungi, yeast -> soybean casein digest medium or trypticase soy broth
anaerobic -> fluid thioglicollate medium
yeast -> sabouraud dextrose agar
what are the criterias for growth promotion tests
involves inoculation with < 100CFU of test microorganisms/microorganisms of the process environment at 20-25degC or 30-35degC for 72h
visual inspection to spot any contamination/ turbidity which is performed after incubation at 20-35degC for 14d (or at least 7d with two diff temp), at half time and end of incubation period
compare terminal sterility and aseptic processing
terminal sterility
1. use of a lethal treatment on microorganism (heat, radiation, chemical)
2. relatively easy to reproduce and validate
3. not for all materials (packaging and medical devices)
aseptic processing
1. removal or separation of microorganisms
2. high risk of contamination
3. more variables in process and harder to control
4. fewer issues with materials
what are the corresponding sterility testing to different types of pharmaceutical products (filterable, large volume available, medical devices, used materials that might be damaged or impenetrable by moist heat, heat sensitive medical devices and surgical supplies, medical products and packaging materials, water treatment)
- filterable -> membrane filtration sterility test
- large volume available and can take a small sample without affecting final quantity -> direct inoculation sterility testing
- medical devices -> sterility testing for medical devices, moist heat sterilisation
- used materials that might be damaged or impenetrable by moist heat -> dry heat sterilisation
- heat sensitive medical devices or surgical supplies -> chemical sterilisation
- medical products and packaging materials- -> gamma radiation
- water treatment -> ozone
samples are incubated for up to 14d at 32.5 and 22.5degC prior to examination
what are the factors in determining sample size for sterility testing
- number of units in each batch
- volume of liquid per container
- method of sterilisation
- manufacturing requirements of the regulatory