Pharma Logistics Vocabulary

A collection of essential terms and definitions related to pharmaceutical logistics, quality systems, and regulatory standards.

GDP

Good Distribution Practice; the rulebook for shipping and storing medicine safely to ensure products are transported correctly and tracked from pickup to delivery.

cGMP

Current Good Manufacturing Practice; the rulebook for making medicine safely and correctly, requiring logistics personnel to follow SOPs and document everything accurately.

GCP

Good Clinical Practice; the rulebook for clinical trials and patient safety, ensuring clinical trial materials arrive at the correct location on time.

Cold chain

The full process of keeping a pharmaceutical product cold from pickup to delivery.

Temperature monitor/logger

A device that records the temperature during shipment to prove the product stayed safe.

Temperature excursion

A situation where a product goes outside the allowed temperature range, such as exceeding the common requirement of $2^{\circ}\text{C}$ to $8^{\circ}\text{C}$.

Deviation

An instance when something does not happen the way it was supposed to happen according to the plan or procedure.

CAPA

Corrective and Preventive Action; the process of fixing a problem and implementing changes to prevent it from happening again.

Corrective Action

The specific part of CAPA that addresses what is done to fix a problem immediately.

Preventive Action

The specific part of CAPA that addresses what changes are made so a problem does not recur.

Veeva

A quality system software used to manage controlled quality records, including deviations, CAPAs, SOPs, and training records.

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure; a set of written instructions that must be followed and documented to maintain product quality and compliance.