6-Hour Virtual Seminar on 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance for Computer Systems Regulated by FDA

The Webinar will focus on the importance of ensuring that electronic record/electronic signature (ER/ES) capability built into FDA-regulated computer systems meets compliance with 21 CFR Part 11.  This includes development of a company philosophy and approach, and incorporating it into the overall computer system validation program and plans for individual systems that have this capability.

FDA’s 21 CFR Part 11 was enacted in the late 1990s and implementation success across the pharmaceutical and other regulated industries has been mixed.  There are very specific limitations that arise when using ER/ES capability, such as the elimination of print capability to prevent users from making decisions based on a paper record as opposed to the electronic record.  It also requires very specific identification of users that ensures the person signing the record is the same person whose credentials are being entered and verified by the system. 

Rule for changing passwords must be rigorously adhered to and the passwords must be kept secure.
It is also critical that the system specify the exact meaning of the signature.  It may be that the person conducted the work, recorded the result, reviewed the result, or approved the result.  A person may simply be attesting to the fact that they reviewed the work and the signatures, and there was appropriate segregation of duties (i.e., the person recording the result is not the same as either the person reviewing or the person giving final approval).

A company must have specific policies and procedures in place that explicitly state responsibilities and provide guidance for implementing and using ER/ES capability.  These must clarify the 21 CFR Part 11 regulation and provide insight as to the way the company interprets their responsibility for meeting it.  As FDA continues to evolve and change due to the many factors that influence the regulatory environment, companies must be able to adapt. 

New technologies will continue to emerge that will change the way companies do business.  While many of these are intended to streamline operations, reducing time and resources, some unintentionally result in added layers of oversight that encumber a computer system validation program and require more time and resources, making the technology unattractive from a cost-benefit perspective.

Why you should attend

FDA requires that all computer systems that handle data regulated by the Agency be validated in accordance with their guidance on computerized systems.  This guidance was first issued in 1983, and the main points of focus remain consistent today, despite the number of years that have passed and the technology changes that have taken place.

The guidance was revisited for its application to the medical device industry in the 1990s, as the first issuance addressed pharmaceuticals only.  In 1997, 21 CFR Part 11 was issued to address electronic records and signatures, as many FDA-regulated organizations began seeking ways to move into a paperless environment.  This guidance has been modified over the years to make it more palatable to industry, and this includes discretionary enforcement measures, but still remains somewhat confusing.  The intent was to avoid creating a huge regulatory compliance cost to industry that was initially preventing companies from embracing the technology.