Building Phase-Appropriate Quality from Preclinical to Commercial with Jackie Klecker

What It Covers

Jackie Klecker, EVP and Head of Quality at Lifecore Biomedical, a 60-year-old fully integrated CDMO with 20 commercial SKUs, outlines how sponsors and CDMOs can build phase-appropriate quality systems from preclinical through commercial launch, avoiding costly delays through structured documentation, risk tools, and aligned communication.

Key Questions Answered

• •Phase-Appropriate Validation: Sponsors frequently over-request at preclinical stage — fully validated analytical methods are unnecessary and expensive before product understanding matures. Conversely, under-preparing by skipping design space testing creates downstream failures. CDMOs should provide sponsors a written phase roadmap specifying exactly when validations, bill of materials, and QMS requirements must be completed — for example, full analytical method validation before Phase 3.
• •FMEA as Product Lifecycle Encyclopedia: A Failure Mode and Effects Analysis should be initiated at preclinical and updated continuously through commercial production. Scope it by functional area — separate FMEAs for bulk drug substance, filling, and packaging — with a cross-functional team no larger than a minivan's capacity. Update occurrence rankings as controls are added, and incorporate complaint data and CAPA findings to keep it current.
• •EU vs. FDA Regulatory Gaps: EU submissions require completed Process Performance Qualification data before approval, whereas FDA accepts submitted protocols. EU Annex 13 also demands more complete analytical method validation at earlier phases and more extensive hold study data than FDA. Sponsors targeting European markets should pull forward stability studies and PPQ completion timelines to avoid resubmission delays.
• •Structured Knowledge Transfer at Program Start: Both sponsor and CDMO should document known product sensitivities — light exposure, oxygen sensitivity, pH specifications — alongside explicit gaps in knowledge before work begins. Sponsors often use only one API lot at preclinical, creating material variability blind spots. A formal written knowledge transfer document covering critical process parameters and material attributes reduces risk of late-stage surprises.
• •Quality Agreement as Conflict Prevention Tool: A detailed, documented quality agreement between sponsor and CDMO should define complaint response timelines, document approval authority, and review turnaround expectations before the program starts. Replacing ad-hoc email chains with regularly scheduled standing meetings — weekly, biweekly, or monthly — prevents documentation bottlenecks and eliminates tone misinterpretation that can damage working relationships.