Member Action Groups
As part of our drive to achieve excellence in microbiology, some of our members (on a voluntary basis) get involved in more specific areas of interest by forming Action Groups. This allows them to concentrate on a particular niche that is of importance to them and, potentially, industry at large.
How does it work?
A member will flag up an area of interest and then Pharmig (via the Committee) will canvas its membership to see if there are other members willing to volunteer and support this topic. The objective of this is to create a forum to initially share ideas and formulate a possible plan. The decision is then made, if there is enough scope, to produce a technical paper, presentation, survey, publication or webinar etc. that would benefit the whole membership. Goals, objectives and timelines will be set and agreed upon in each active Group. This is a space where microbiologists can interact and intellectually engage with each other to progress or develop an area of practice that they are interested in.
These Groups are constantly evolving and continually accept new members as and when required.
Action Groups we have set up include:
- Disinfectant (active)
- Non-Sterile (active)
- Cleanroom
- Rapid Methods
- LAL (Endotoxin)
Outcomes of Action Groups
The word action suggests that these are not passive groups. There is a goal behind them forming and an expectation that anyone who volunteers to join them is willing to support the group in any way they can. There have been many positive outcomes from Action Groups over the years. From publications, surveys, meetings, through to the development of fact sheets, to further pharmaceutical microbiology best practice. There is always the underlying goal when you are part of a Pharmig microbiology Action Group that has positive aims on moving the discipline forward. This can influence behaviour, develop individuals as microbiologists or flag up parts of current practice that can be developed or enhanced in Industry.
Moving forward
We are proud that our Action Groups have (for example) resulted in publications that benefit our membership such as the Guide to Disinfectants and their use in the Pharmaceutical industry which is now on its 3rd revision and will be published very shortly.
The guide has been completely revised and re-written to provide you with a roadmap to regulatory compliance for cleaning & disinfection. The new text will walk you through the steps needed to design, validate, and implement an effective cleaning and disinfection programme. Including:
- Identifying and assessing risks associated with cleaning and disinfection
- User requirements for cleaning agents and disinfectants
- Supplier qualification
- Disinfectant efficacy testing and validation
- Controls for routine use – including application methods, in-coming QC testing, and periodic review of the programme
This is just one example of what Action Groups can achieve when we have all our wonderful microbiologist heads together; resources that benefit our members and progress pharmaceutical microbiology.
We are also considering setting up an Action Group on Environmental Monitoring to produce a survey around environmental monitoring programs at different facilities.
And – we are also looking to fire up the Non-Sterile Action Group to review / provide feedback on the recent Microbiological Quality Considerations in Non-sterile Drug Manufacturing: Guidance for Industry
https://www.fda.gov/media/152527/download
If either of these are of interest to you as a Pharmig Member or, you would like to put forward a new Action Group for the Committee to consider please contact the Pharmig office on Tel: +44 (0) 1920 871 999 or email: info@pharmig.org.uk
