A well-understood tenet exists among the FDA and other regulatory bodies: if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen. And if it didn't happen, your company stands to lose time, money, and perhaps its competitive edge. Write it Down: Guidance for Preparing Effective and Compliant Documentation provides you with the tools you need to put effective documentation in place. The book has a three-pronged focus: to help writers understand the why of what they must write and the current industry standards for good documentation practices, to provide effective examples of a broad spectrum of documents, and to supply an in-depth explanation of grammar and punctuation conventions. Substantially expanded, the second edition focuses on the regulations, the need to document, and the range of documentation that must be in place to support therapeutic products from discovery through market. Readers will find useful examples of good writing, many provided by people in the industry. Letters and memos; short reports of varied topics, including equipment evaluation, vendor audit, and trip review; standard operating procedures, laboratory methods, and training materials; documentation for an IQ/OQ/PQ project; a journal article; and excerpts from a development report and a dossier are among the many examples. The book also gives a thorough explanation of grammar, punctuation, and usage, with a strong emphasis on the components of the language that pose difficulties for non-native writers of English. This book is a must for people working in or preparing to work in environments that produce drugs, medical devices, or biologics for sale in countries that have stringent regulatory requirements and where the business language is English. Firmly placing the writing task in context of the existing laws and guidances, the book offers valuable insights into managing systems and producing documentation that meets the requirements of the binding regulations.

A well-understood tenet exists among the FDA and other regulatory bodies: if you didn't write it down, it didn't happen. And if it didn't happen, your company stands to lose time, money, and perhaps its competitive edge. Write it Down: Guidance for Preparing Effective and Compliant Documentation provides you with the tools you need to put effective documentation in place. The book has a three-pronged focus: to help writers understand the why of what they must write and the current industry standards for good documentation practices, to provide effective examples of a broad spectrum of documents, and to supply an in-depth explanation of grammar and punctuation conventions. Substantially expanded, the second edition focuses on the regulations, the need to document, and the range of documentation that must be in place to support therapeutic products from discovery through market. Readers will find useful examples of good writing, many provided by people in the industry. Letters and memos; short reports of varied topics, including equipment evaluation, vendor audit, and trip review; standard operating procedures, laboratory methods, and training materials; documentation for an IQ/OQ/PQ project; a journal article; and excerpts from a development report and a dossier are among the many examples. The book also gives a thorough explanation of grammar, punctuation, and usage, with a strong emphasis on the components of the language that pose difficulties for non-native writers of English. This book is a must for people working in or preparing to work in environments that produce drugs, medical devices, or biologics for sale in countries that have stringent regulatory requirements and where the business language is English. Firmly placing the writing task in context of the existing laws and guidances, the book offers valuable insights into managing systems and producing documentation that meets the requirements of the binding regulations.

The current revolution in software, and the regulations that have evolved to address it, have increasingly caused companies to turn to off-the-shelf software for electronic record keeping. Data captured in computerized systems must be as reliable, if not more so, than data on paper. Electronic Record Keeping: Achieving Compliance with 21 CFR Part 11 and 45 CFR Parts 160, 162, and 164 explores how to evaluate, select, implement, and document an e-system that will keep your organization in compliance. Covering Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 11 and the parallel, recently passed Title 45 CFR Parts 160, 162, and 164 of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), this book provides guidance for selecting, purchasing, installing, validating, and managing commercial off-the-shelf software for data collection and retention. It takes a number of years for industry standards for a new regulation to develop from dialog between companies and the regulating agency. These standards are in place for Part 11, which was passed into law in 1997. Healthcare providers who must implement electronic record keeping can learn how to best do it by understanding the parallel between the new HIPAA regulations and the industry standards for Part 11. Further, certain FDA-driven activities, such as patient record keeping in clinical trials, now must comply with the new HIPAA regs as well. To help companies achieve and maintain compliance, the authors cover audit trails, validation, documentation, training, and security and accountability. They discuss what the regulations say and what they mean. Compliance may be mandatory, but it also makes good business sense. Companies that are compliant will always be poised to move forward, and they will avoid the grief that comes from poor or faulty record keeping and documentation. This book gives you the tools you need to keep your company both compliant and competitive.