Understanding the Importance of Computer System Validation in Regulatory Compliance
Computer system validation is essential to maintaining regulatory compliance in regulated industries. Non-compliance can result in financial, operational, and reputational consequences.
However, some systems can be validated without being validated. These include commercial operating systems (OS) and antivirus software that are extensively tested from a design standpoint by the companies that create them.
Regulatory Compliance
What is computer system validation? Computer system validation (CSV) is a process used in pharmaceutical, healthcare, and other regulated industries to ensure that computer systems involved in the production of drugs or the management of data produce results consistent with predefined specifications. CSV is important because it helps companies reduce risks and comply with regulatory standards.
In a pharmaceutical quality control laboratory, failure of computerized systems can result in incorrect information that compromises the integrity of data and impacts the safety of patients. In addition, inefficient or unreliable systems lead to increased downtime and disruptions in workflow, costing the company money.
A clearly defined and well-executed computer system validation process is vital to maintaining regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. However, a typical organization’s decentralized governance model can fragment validation activities and resources between IT departments, users, and quality teams, resulting in inefficiencies, wasted time and effort, and increased costs.
Using the life cycle approach to computer system validation enables you to plan and execute validation activities more flexibly while meeting regulatory requirements. This method also helps you define the validation scope so that only necessary components are validated and not the entire system. A requirement traceability matrix is a vital part of this methodology. It is used to identify and document all changes to a computer system.
Risk Management
Computer systems must be validated to ensure that records are accurate and that the integrity of those records is maintained. It requires identifying and testing the elements of a computer system that have a GxP impact. It can include everything from the software that processes orders to the systems that record and secure product data.
The risk analysis process is critical to the overall effectiveness of a validation effort. It identifies the likelihood and severity of an error in the system, enabling you to assign controls to minimize those risks. A thorough risk assessment should evaluate financial, legal, and reputational risks and potential non-compliance with regulations and internal policies.
Another good risk management process component is an ongoing monitoring program to detect environmental changes that might affect compliance. It includes monitoring regulatory changes, technology trends, and business practices. This program should be integrated with your IT and cybersecurity teams to provide the best protection against cyber threats.
Computerized systems are not all required to be validated, but those must undergo a thorough characterization process to determine the scope and strategy of their validation. Characterization establishes the functions of the system and delimits its boundaries. It should be done in conjunction with developing the design specifications for the IQ, OQ, and PQ protocols.
Business Impact
Computer system validation isn’t just a regulatory requirement; it’s an essential business practice. Validation can reduce risk, increase product quality, and help your organization compete.
Computer systems are used for various purposes, from managing documents and data to automating tasks and completing routine operations. These systems are essential to your company’s workflow and processes and are vulnerable to errors, failures, and disruptions. If your company experiences a disruption to these systems, it can directly impact your operations and revenue.
Computer system validation ensures that a regulated computer-based system does precisely what it was designed to do consistently, accurately, and securely. This process establishes a foundation for managing these systems, including creating standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Computer system validation is a process that requires careful planning and implementation. It’s best to perform CSV in a controlled environment separate from production. During the planning phase, it’s essential to identify and document all potential risks associated with the system. Once the plans are in place, the actual work can begin. It’s critical to understand the role of your IT team during the entire validation process, and it’s also essential to build quality into the system from the start.
Implementation
Computer system validation is a necessary process for pharmaceutical and other regulated industries. It ensures that all workflows—including software use—are rigorously tested to identify and correct issues before they can be used in production. However, the cost of this type of validation can be high, delaying the implementation of new software that may improve productivity or allow for more accurate results.
Using an Agilent CSV starter kit based on GAMP 5 can significantly reduce the time and cost of a CSV project, allowing your lab to implement essential software faster. An Agilent CSV consultant can help determine which CSV starter kit suits your laboratory and workflows.
Once a validation project is complete, it’s essential to maintain the qualified/validated state of computer systems and infrastructure. It includes monitoring changes to the system, implementing methodologies to maintain the validated state, and updating processes that may be affected by the system.
The process of computer system validation identifies potential risks to the integrity and reliability of a system and mitigates them through a risk assessment. It also identifies opportunities to make the system more reliable and robust, which can increase efficiency and reduce costs. Using this approach, your company can avoid the expense of a costly regulatory action such as an FDA Warning Letter or a product recall due to data integrity breaches.