Do Extractable Protocols Truly Help- An End User Perspective

Single Use technology is being used more each year in the biotechnology industry. However, extractables and their potential impact on product and patients continue to be one of the biggest challenges. The challenge is augmented by the lack of standardized methodology for suppliers to execute extractable studies that meets end user requirements. The end users are responsible and required by law to assess the impact of extractables and leachables on overall Product Quality and Safety. Due to lack of a standard, customized data had to be generated for/by each end users. This resulted in long lead times, higher costs and inefficient utilization of resources. Typically, the data generation and qualification of single use component can take up to a year, which can impact implementation of single use. BioPhorum Operations Group (BPOG) developed a standardized protocol9 for generating extractable data that would meet user requirements and simplify/reduce implementation time within industry. A standardized protocol gives confidence to suppliers that testing performed by them would meet end user requirements and enable faster implementation. Some suppliers shared the BPOG vision and proactively tested their single use components using BPOG protocol, which has helped expedite the use of their products.