SMIMA1091U Quality by Design (QbD) in Pharmaceutical Development
Quality by Design (QbD) lies at the core of modern pharmaceutical development, offering a scientifically sound and cost-efficient pathway to delivering high-quality medicines to patients. Global regulatory authorities — including the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — now emphasize QbD principles as an integral part of regulatory submissions. As a result, QbD has become a cornerstone of streamlined, risk-based drug development and manufacturing.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of QbD principles, spanning quality risk management, formal experimental design, and process analytical technology (PAT). Guided by leading experts from industry, academia, and regulatory agencies, participants will gain both a conceptual understanding and practical insight into how QbD strategies can be effectively implemented within their organizations.
Through interactive lectures and practical demonstrations, the course equips participants with the skills to apply QbD methodologies across the product lifecycle — from design to commercialization.
Key Learning Topics:
Fundamentals of risk analysis and quality management
Developing the Quality Target Product Profile (QTPP)
Identifying Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) and Critical Process Parameters (CPPs)
Applying Design of Experiments (DoE): from basic screening to advanced designs
Understanding Process Analytical Technologies (PAT): chemometrics, process monitoring, and measurement techniques
Navigating the risk-based regulatory framework for QbD implementation
Who Should Attend:
This course is designed for professionals and lifelong learners in
the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sectors - including,
e.g., formulation scientists, process engineers, regulatory affairs
specialists, and quality professionals - who wish to enhance
their expertise in QbD principles and practical
applications.
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able
to:
Knowledge
- summarize the principles of the QbD approach in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing
- demonstrate basic knowledge about risk management, design of experiments and PAT
- demonstrate basic knowledge about the relationship of the QbD approach into design space and further, into the regulatory framework
Skills
- apply basic risk analysis and design of experiments techniques into practical cases
identify and suggest suitable process analytical tools for a given manufacturing environment
Competencies
- work in a multidisciplinary risk management team
- plan and implement basic design of experiments (DoE) approach
suggest a QbD approach for constructing a design space.
The common course syllabus is a collection of legislation, presentations (hand-outs) and cases.
- Category
- Hours
- Class Instruction
- 40
- Preparation
- 22,5
- Exam
- 20
- Total
- 82,5
- Credit
- 3 ECTS
- Type of assessment
- Home assignment
- Type of assessment details
- A set assignment based on a selected QbD case and the common course syllabus. The essay must be 8-15 pages.
- Aid
- All aids allowed
Remember to fill out an AI-declaration when you hand in your assignment. More information can be found on KUnet here.
- Marking scale
- passed/not passed
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
See exam schedule.
- Re-exam
Criteria for exam assesment
To pass the exam, the participant must have written a comprehensive and structured report on a selected case in his/hers own words, which is based on relevant literature.
To achieve a pass, the student must be able to perform at a sufficient level to:
Knowledge
- at basic level about risk management, design of experiments and PAT
Skills for
- applying basic risk analysis and design of experiments techniques into practical cases
identifying realistic process analytical tools for a given manufacturing environment
Competencies
- to work in a multidisciplinary risk management team
- to plan and implement basic design of experiments (DoE) approach
to suggest a QbD approach for constructing a design space.
Course information
- Language
- English
- Course code
- SMIMA1091U
- Credit
- 3 ECTS
- Level
- Part Time Master
- Duration
- See course webpage for specific dates.
- Placement
- Autumn And Spring
- Schedule
- See course webpage.
- Course capacity
- 25 participants
Study board
- Study Board for the Professionel Master´s Degree Programmes at The Faculty og Health and Medical Science
Contracting department
- Department of Pharmacy
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinators
- Jukka Rantanen (14-778278786e3b7f6e7b816e7b727b4d80827b713b78823b7178)
Lecturers
This course has elements of the framework developed by EUFEPS
QbD and PAT Sciences Network as published in "Strategic
framework for education and training in Quality by Design (QbD) and
process analytical technology (PAT)" Eur J Pharm Sci, 2016.
90:2-7.
doi: 10.1016/?j.ejps.2016.04.024
Selected industrial guest speakers will participate in teaching of
this course.