Alfred P. Tonelli

Bioanalytical Method Validation—A Revisit with a Decade of Progress

This report is a synthesis of (1) the earlier conference on Analytical Methods Validation−Bioavailability, Bioequivalence and Pharmacokinetic Studies (Conference held in Arlington, VA, December 3–5, 1990 and the report published in Pharmaceutical Research, 9: 588-592, 1992) and (2) the workshop on “Bioanalytical Methods Validation—A Revisit with a Decade of Progress,” (Workshop held in Arlington, VA, January 12–14, 2000), sponsored by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. The bioanalytical method validation workshop of January 12–14, 2000 was directed towards small molecules. A separate workshop was held in March 1–3, 2000 to discuss validation principles for macromolecules. The purpose of this report is to represent the progress in analytical methodologies over the last decade and assessment of the major agreements and issues discussed with regard to small molecules at both the conference and the workshop. The report is also intended to provide guiding principles for validation of bioanalytical methods employed in support of bioavailability, bioequivalence, and pharmacokinetic studies in man and in animals.