Product development of probiotics as biological drugs.

Elements of product and manufacturing-process design are described for product development of live biotherapeutic biological drugs. Product design uses the history and the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of the selected strain. The quality and integrity of the selected strain can be ensured by preservation in a qualified cell-bank system. Manufacturing-process design includes step-by-step description, including the necessary process-input parameters and the expected output results. The active ingredients in the biological drug are usually manufactured using aseptic processing. The manufacture of the final dosage form of live biotherapeutics requires bioburden control or aseptic manufacture, as appropriate. Specifications for live biotherapeutics must comply with regulations for licensed biological products. Evidence of stability for the duration of the shelf life, as well as stability under the recommended conditions of use, must be provided for licensure.