Course Overview

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is a set of rules for medicines manufacturers to follow so that their products are safe, effective, and of good quality. The rules may be written into law or set out in guidance documents from regulatory authorities. Regulators will not allow medicinal products to be placed, or to remain, on the market in their country unless the products can be shown to be manufactured in compliance with GMP. To this end, they carry out inspections of manufacturing plants. Companies that persistently commit serious breaches of GMP requirements have suffered huge fines.

All manufacturing personnel must receive initial and ongoing training in the theory and practice of GMP. Everyone who works in a processing, quality control, packaging, or warehouse environment for a pharmaceutical or biotechnology company, or one of their contractors, must understand why GMP is important, how it applies to them, and how to comply with it. This module provides an ideal induction and refresher course in the basics of GMP. We begin by explaining what GMP is and why it is necessary. We then set out its main principles. Finally, we focus on two aspects of GMP that apply to everyone in the manufacturing environment: hygiene, cleaning, and sanitation; and documentation.

• State what GMP is and describe why it is important

• Identify sources of GMP rules in regulations and internationally standardised guidance

• Identify major goals of GMP, outline what manufacturers must do to achieve them, and list some of the things that you need to do in order to contribute

• Comply with basic requirements regarding hygiene, cleaning, and sanitation

• Comply with basic requirements regarding documentation