Laboratory analysis of foreign bodies

Chemical analysis Characterization of materials Problem solving
More than 140 people
More than 140 people at your service
5200 m² laboratory
5200 m² laboratory + 99% of services are provided in-house
Accredited laboratory
Accredited laboratory COFRAC ISO 17025

Are you looking to analyze foreign bodies detected in your products or formulations?

What are foreign bodies?

A foreign body is a substance or particle that is not expected to be present in a sample and that may affect its composition, properties, or purity. Foreign bodies can come from a variety of sources and are often considered contaminants that can alter the results of an analysis or affect the quality of the product being studied.

Sources of foreign bodies

Throughout the manufacturing process, there are many sources of contamination that can lead to the appearance of a foreign body in pharmaceutical products. Foreign bodies can be of several types, i.e. organic, mineral or metallic.

Why perform a foreign body analysis?

The presence of foreign bodies in a drug can impair its performance (disintegration, dissolution) and pose a health risk to the patient.

Accurately identifying the nature and origin of these particles is therefore essential to assess quality impacts, secure production, and adapt industrial processes accordingly.

These contaminants or foreign bodies, often invisible to the naked eye, can measure from a few micrometers to nanometers, requiring the use of high-precision analytical techniques such as electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), or X-ray diffraction (XRD) for reliable characterization.

FILAB supports manufacturers in the identification and investigation of foreign bodies in their products

Pourquoi faire appel à FILAB pour vos analyses de corps étrangers ?

FILAB propose aux industriels pharmaceutiques des compétences humaines de haut niveau et un parc analytique de pointe afin de leur offrir des services répondant à leur critère de conformité dans le respect des normes règlementaires pour tout type de médicament et forme galénique.

Afin de répondre avec rapidité et fiabilité à ces problématiques, FILAB propose un accompagnement sur-mesure pour l’identification et l’analyse de corps étranger.

Our foreign body analysis services

Characterization of a foreign body

Purity analysis of a pharmaceutical product

Procedural audits 

Search for traces of a specific component (packaging, cleaning residues, equipment, etc.)

Detection of impurities (ICH Q3D)

Help creating a defect library

Our technical resources to determine the presence of foreign bodies

SEM-FEG EDX, XPS, TOF-SIMS

Surface analysis

GCMS, Py-GCMS, LC-MSMS, LC-QTOF-MS, GPC, RMN, IRTF, RAMAN

Organic chemical analysis

ICP, IC

Mineral chemical analysis

XRD, SEM-FEG,  SEM-EDX, BET, Laser Granulometry

Powder analysis

TGA, TGA-FTIR, DSC

Thermal analysis

Application case: identification and analysis of foreign bodies in pharmaceutical products

Application cases

Visible foreign bodies in solid forms (tablets, capsules): the appearance of particles visible to the naked eye in tablets or capsules can alter the perceived quality of the product. Analysis helps identify the nature of the contamination (fibers, metal particles, plastic fragments) and trace its origin (manufacturing process, packaging).
Unwanted particles in injectable solutions: the presence of microscopic foreign bodies in sterile solutions represents a critical risk. Accurate identification of these particles (organic, mineral, metallic) makes it possible to assess the health risk and adapt filtration or packaging processes.
Cross-contamination from raw materials: insoluble impurities may be detected upon receipt of raw materials. An analytical investigation can determine whether these foreign bodies are the result of supplier contamination or formulation incompatibility.
Foreign bodies from equipment wear: metal or plastic debris can be released into products during abnormal wear of production equipment. The analysis makes it possible to correlate the nature of the particles with the materials in the production lines and identify the point of failure.

FAQ

What consequences can foreign bodies have on production and manufacturing processes?

Foreign bodies can cause interruptions in production processes, defects in finished products, and deviations from quality and safety standards. They can cause premature wear of equipment, require frequent overhauls of production lines, and increase manufacturing costs due to the need to repeat tests, reject contaminated batches, or initiate product recalls.

What role does sample traceability play in foreign body management?

Sample traceability plays a crucial role in foreign body management, as it allows the complete history of a sample to be tracked, from collection to analysis. This includes recording all handling, processing, and storage conditions, making it easier to identify potential stages where contamination could have occurred and allowing for specific corrections to be made to the affected processes.

What types of analysis can identify the chemical nature of a foreign body?

The combination of techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDX), infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) makes it possible to identify the chemical composition of particles, whether organic, mineral or metallic.

How can companies minimize the risk of foreign body contamination in their products?

Companies can minimize the risk of foreign body contamination by adopting an integrated approach to quality management that encompasses careful selection of raw materials, control of production processes, implementation of good manufacturing practices (GMP), regular monitoring of the production environment to detect potential sources of contamination, and ongoing training of personnel on proper handling and hygiene practices.

What type of foreign body can there be in a medicine?

A foreign body can be organic (textile fibers, plant residues), mineral (silica, calcium carbonate), or metallic (stainless steel particles, aluminum). These contaminations can come from raw materials, wear and tear on production equipment, or even the manufacturing environment (dust, packaging).

How to determine the origin of a foreign body in a pharmaceutical batch?

Once the nature of the contaminant has been identified, the investigation goes back to the potential sources: raw materials, production environment, equipment or packaging, by cross-referencing analytical data with industrial processes.

From what size can a foreign body be analyzed?

Using scanning microscopy and microanalysis techniques, it is possible to identify particles smaller than 10 microns, which is crucial for injectable or ophthalmic solutions.

What is the difference between visible and sub-visible particulate contamination?

Visible particles are detectable to the naked eye (> 50 µm) while sub-visible particles require optical or electronic detection techniques (between 1 and 50 µm). Both types of contamination require characterization to assess their impact on quality and safety.

The filab advantages
A highly qualified team
A highly qualified team
Responsiveness in responding to and processing requests
Responsiveness in responding to and processing requests
A COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited laboratory
A COFRAC ISO 17025 accredited laboratory
(Staves available on www.cofrac.com - Accreditation number: 1-1793)
A complete analytical park of 5,200m²
A complete analytical park of 5,200m²
Tailor-made support
Tailor-made support
Anaïs DECAUX Customer Support Manager
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