ICH Quality Guidelines

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HARMONISATION OF TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION OF PHARMACEUTICALS FOR HUMAN USE

ICH HARMONISED TRIPARTITE GUIDELINE

STABILITY TESTING FOR NEW DOSAGE FORMS

Annex to the ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline on Stability Testing for New Drugs and Products

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Current Step 4 version dated 6 November 1996

This Guideline has been developed by the appropriate ICH Expert Working Group and has been subject to consultation by the regulatory parties, in accordance with the ICH Process. At Step 4 of the Process the final draft is recommended for adoption to the regulatory bodies of the European Union, Japan and USA.

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Document History

STABILITY TESTING FOR NEW DOSAGE FORMS

Annex to the ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline on Stability Testing for New Drugs and Products

ICH Harmonised Tripartite Guideline

Having reached Step 4 of the ICH Process at the ICH Steering Committee meeting on 6 November 1996, this guideline is recommended for adoption to the three regulatory parties to ICH

1. GENERAL

The ICH harmonised Tripartite Guideline on Stability Testing of New Drug Substances and Products was issued on October 27, 1993. This document is an annex to the ICH parent stability guideline and addresses the recommendations on what should be submitted regarding stability of new dosage forms by the owner of the original application, after the original submission for new drug substances and products.

2. NEW DOSAGE FORMS

A new dosage form is defined as a drug product which is a different pharmaceutical product type, but contains the same active substance as included in the existing drug product approved by the pertinent regulatory authority. 

Such pharmaceutical product types include products of different administration route (e.g., oral to parenteral), new specific functionality/delivery systems (e.g., immediate release tablet to modified release tablet) and different dosage forms of the same administration route (e.g., capsule to tablet, solution to suspension).

Stability protocols for new dosage forms should follow the guidance in the parent stability guideline in principle. However, a reduced stability database at submission time (e.g., 6 months accelerated and 6 months long term data from ongoing studies) may be acceptable in certain justified cases. 

Source from ICH