The identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) for the development of antibody drugs

Abstract

In the development of quality biopharmaceutical drugs, it is the level of knowledge gained, not the volume of data, which provides the basis for science-based submissions and their regulatory evaluation [International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q8 (R2)]. The identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) is important as the initial step for quality by design (QbD) strategies. The impact of each potential critical attribute (pCQA) is assessed by using a systematic and scientific approach with respect to bioactivity, pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD), immunogenicity, and safety of the biopharmaceutical drugs. The purpose of this section is to introduce a strategy for identifying CQA, and new analytical methods for CQA assessment.