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Many of us aware that eCTD is mandatory for DMF submissions from Jan 2020.
- At the beginning of the decision process it is very important to make an evaluation of the current submission processes (“where are we”) in comparison with the eCTD requirements (“where do we need to be”).
- The conclusions drawn from this analysis, together with a careful evaluation of the boundary conditions within the company are the basis for the definition of the User Requirements Specifications (URS).
- In the URS all the needs and boundaries of the expected processes are described and this information is used to find the optimal solution.Three possible solutions are described in detail, with their related advantages and disadvantages
- In-house software,
- Software as a Service (SaaS) and
- Outsourcing
- The last step of the process is the implementation of the chosen solution.
- It has to be considered whether a consultant should help with the creation of this URS document. Especially for the generation of the new processes the experience of a consultant can be helpfulThe URS is part of the official validation documentation according to GAMP and should be established for any new system
- Selection of solution
- Once the URS has been finalised, the most suitable solution has to be found. For this analysis the URS requirements should be classified in some way, e.g. “crucial” and “nice to have”.
- The three possible solutions (In-house Software, Software as a Service and Outsourcing) are described in detail in the following sections. Table 1 compares the most relevant characteristics of the 3 solutions, Table 2: Running an eCTD software system in-house: advantages and disadvantages and Table 3: Host system option: advantages and disadvantages
Table 1: Comparison of the 3 solutions
Item | In-House software | Software as a Service | Outsourcing |
Freedom of configuration | High | limited | No |
Responsibility for update and Maintenance | High | No | No |
IT support in-house needed | Yes | No | No |
Link to other IT systems in-house possible | Yes | No | No |
Initial costs | High | Low | No |
Ongoing costs | In-house | Yes | Yes |
Lead time | Long | Medium | Short |
Scalability | Depends on set-up | Easy | Easy |
Need of resources and competence for use of eCTD software | Yes | Yes | No |
confidentiality / data security issues | No | Yes | Yes |
Table 2: Running an eCTD software system in-house: advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Full freedom for configuration | High initial costs for setting up the system |
Free choice of hardware and software components | Relatively long lead time needed to set up the system |
The software is part of the company-owned software and fits into the IT concept of the company | Full responsibility for update and maintenance |
Everything stays in house (no data-transfer via internet / confidentiality etc.) | Personnel for technical set-up and maintenance must be available. |
Link-up to other IT-systems possible (e.g. SAP) | |
Maintenance costs stay in-house | |
On-going costs are lower compared to the host software or outsourcing options |
Table 3: Host system option: advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Speed: time from the decision to a pilot eCTD is often shorter compared to the in-house software solution | Dependency on an external partner which increases if also the DMS shall be hosted |
Lower cost for initial implementation as there is no or a smaller initial investment (e.g. initial set-up, user and software licenses, maintenance) | Data transfer via internet (confidentiality, upload / down load capacity) |
Scalable: ability to scale as business needs change | Data hosted at an external company (confidentiality) |
No on-going system maintenance | Limited freedom for software configuration |
On-going costs for renting the system/service |
Table 4: Outsourcing option: advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Speed: time from the decision to a pilot eCTD is very short | Dependency on an external partner for each project and throughout the life cycle of a submission |
No initial investment and no reoccurring costs for system maintenance and technical support | On-going costs for each service during the whole lifecycle of a product/submission (initial submission(s), variations etc.) |
No direct costs for software, licenses, hardware, system validation and maintenance, training | Data transfer (confidentiality, upload / down load capacity) |
No need to establish, maintain technical knowledge in building and publishing eCTDs, no need for respective in-house resources (eCTD builder/publisher) | Data hosted at an external company (confidentiality) |
Scalable: ability to scale as business needs change | |
Can also substantially-reduce risk of failed initial submissions |
- There are 4 main scenarios that can drive the decision for outsourcing
- there is no in-house software available to build / publish eCTDs or
- the in-house capacities are too little
- to gain experience for the creation of eCTD ready documents and eCTD submissions in-house
- the number of eCTD submissions is too small, seldom use of the system
- Conclusion: The option with the lowest impact on processes and systems in a company is outsourcing. There are various different extents of outsourcing. Common to all is that the external partner will provide the necessary infrastructure / software as well as the personnel to prepare the eCTD.
Stay in connected with FWQRC™ for implementation of eCTD publishing & submission