5 Reasons Why Pharmaceutical Companies Should Use Accredited Calibration Labs

Instruments in pharmaceutical companies should be calibrated so that their performance and results can be trusted. There should be no shred of doubt if the equipment has been calibrated as per the required standards or not. This is why you must use an accredited calibration lab for your equipment calibration.

Pharmaceutical companies cannot afford to be lenient about calibration or compromise on the quality. Any kind of inaccurate measurement can cause a breach of process, product recall or potential fines from the FDA. Moreover, the user’s life could be put at risk. Even if there is a small variance, you can be subjected to large cost over-runs and a dip in the quality. To avoid such issues, you must use calibration service of accredited labs. There will be a massive difference in the accuracy and quality of the service you receive from an accredited lab as compared to a non-accredited lab.

Let us look at 5 benefits that accredited calibration labs provide:

1.    High Calibration Standard

An accredited calibration laboratory undergoes a series of high demanding processes of developing and implementing a quality management system which complies with the ISO 17025 standard. This standard demands a really high level of competency from the calibration laboratory, its employees, processes and the equipment used for calibration, thus assuring high quality in return.

2. High Accuracy

Since the standards of accredited calibration labs are set really high, you can be confident of the accuracy levels of the calibrations. You can also be assured that the measurements produced by each instrument have been tried, tested and verified. Furthermore, the calibrations are audited under strict circumstances by technical auditors. So, you can be assured that the lab would be delivering calibrations of the highest standard and accuracy. 

3. Strict Auditing

Accredited calibrations are subjected to stringent audits where the technical assessors check and audit every single process and equipment. Getting an approval from an independent accreditation body such as A2LA (American Association for Laboratory Accreditation) ensures that the services provided by the lab are highly satisfactory. Hence, you can be confident of getting reliable results from the accredited lab.

4. Saves Money 

Using an accredited lab helps in saving a lot of money. Usually, when you get something calibrated from a lab, you would spend on auditing the place yourself. However, when you use an accredited lab, you can eliminate these costs as you have the confidence of knowing that it has been audited by an independent and reliable accreditation body to the ISO 17025 standard. By cutting down your personal auditing costs, you end up with significant savings.

5. Control & Tracking

An accredited calibrated lab offers high level of control as all the instruments are calibrated in a controlled environment. Apart from that, accredited labs go a step further and track the instruments calibrated by them even after they leave the facility. This helps in making sure that the accuracy of the instrument is tracked at all times

Auditing Requirements

Every accredited lab needs to have bi-annual assessments which cover the checklist of all the required standards. In the interim year, it must submit an internal assessment to the full check list of ISO/IEC 17025. A Proficiency Testing or Inter-Laboratory comparison, Management Review of meeting minutes and Internal Audit results must also be submitted. Since the auditing requirements are so strict, you can be assured that an accredited lab can promise quality, integrity and consistency.

FDA insists that all pharmaceutical companies audit their suppliers quite regularly. When you are choosing a lab to get your equipment calibrated, make sure they are accredited and meet all the ISO standards.

Author Bio: Edward Simpson is a seasoned Calibration and Technical Engineer working for RS Calibration Inc. Edward has a knack for finding faults in machines and does not rest until they are rectified to perfection. He lives in Pleasanton, CA and can be contacted anytime for matters related to machines. He also invites people to visit his company www.rscal.com to learn more about the type of calibration work he does.