CGMP: Your Best Friend in Pharmaceuticals

Consumer awareness requires buyers to take a closer look at what they buy, but it can be difficult in a number of cases, particularly when it comes to medicine. It’s hard to determine if the medicine on the counter is made with precision and great care at plain sight. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, can with Current Good Manufacturing Practice(CGMP) regulations. In other words, the FDA carefully evaluates human pharmaceuticals.

A pharmaceutical company certified by CGMP follows the FDA guidelines and standards in creating quality medicine, from research to production. The FDA has a team of certified professionals that assess pharmaceutical companies not just in the U.S., but around the world as well. The “C” in the acronym, which stands for “current,” means that companies must use state-of-the-art pharmaceutical technology and update it on a constant basis.

Any company that isn’t certified under CGMP will have its products considered “adulterated” under federal law. This doesn’t necessarily mean the drugs are of poor quality, but the FDA suggests patients consult their doctors about using non-certified medicine, especially in the event of a medication change. Failure to meet CGMP standards, however, will result in the total recall of the drug in question. Refusal to comply with the recall is grounds for confiscation of the drugs in the market.