The
IQ Consortium reports on the current state of process analytical
technology (PAT) for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) development
in branded pharmaceutical companies. The article uses an API process
workflow (process steps from raw material identification through to
finished API) to provide representative examples, including why and
how the pharmaceutical industry uses PAT tools in API development.
The use of PAT can improve R&D efficiency and minimize personnel
hazards associated with sampling hazardous materials for in-process
testing. Although not all steps or chemical processes are readily
amenable to the use of the PAT toolbox, when appropriate, PAT enables
reliable and rapid (real or near time) analyses of processes that
may contain materials that are highly hazardous, transient, or heterogeneous.
These measurements can provide significant data for developing process
chemistry understanding, and they may include the detection of previously
unknown reaction intermediates, mechanisms, or relationships between
process variables. As the process becomes defined and understanding
is gained through these measurements, the number of parameters suspected
to be critical is reduced. As the process approaches the commercial
manufacturing stage and the process design space is established, a
simplification of the monitoring and control technology, as much as
is practical, is desired. In many cases, this results in controls
being either off-line, or if in situ control is required, the results
from PAT are correlated with simple manufacturing measurements such
as temperature and pressure.