The first half of 2003 saw a sharp rise in the number of product emergencies involving pharmaceuticals dealt with by RSSL Pharma's Emergency Response Service (ERS)
The first half of 2003 saw a sharp rise in the number of product emergencies involving pharmaceuticals dealt with by RSSL Pharma's Emergency Response Service (ERS).
Approximately 43% of the 280 cases investigated by the ERS involved pharmaceutical products.
This compares with only a 26% contribution from food products, and 16% from drinks.
Other consumer goods, such as personal hygiene products, account for the remainder.
This is the first time in the thirteen year history of the ERS that pharmaceutical investigations have outstripped food and drink. ERS says it is Europe's premier service for investigating product crisis incidents, such as accidental contamination, extortion threat, malicious tamper and serious customer complaint.
The service covers all kinds of consumable goods, including food, drink, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products and personal hygiene products.
Member companies have 24 hour a day immediate access to the analytical expertise offered by scientists at RSSL Pharma.
The skills available from RSSL Pharma include microscopy, chemistry, microbiology and molecular biology.
RSSL Pharma also provides access to a network of other experts who can help product managers decide on the best response to take to a product emergency.
The service is used across Europe by many of the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturers. "Investigation of foreign body incidents and problems with raw materials/excipients, tablets, capsules, liquids and inhalers appear to account for the majority of the increase from the pharmaceutical sector," says Graham Pettipher, who heads the ERS.
"It's encouraging that pharmaceutical manufacturers are reacting immediately to the problems that come to their attention.
"Pharmaceutical manufacturers make up less than 20% of the ERS membership, yet they accounted for nearly 50% of our case-load in the first half of 2003. "Assuming there has been no significant increase in actual incidents, it seems likely that the increase represents a commendable desire by the pharmaceutical industry to act responsibly and address its problems with the utmost urgency. "It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the second half of 2003".
RSSL Pharma does not divulge details of specific incidents or name individual clients.
