Let's Combinate - Drugs + Devices

This episode continues the ICH Quality Series with an overview of ICH Q8 (Pharmaceutical Development), focusing on what it is, how it’s structured, and how to think about it in practice. ICH Q8 defines the suggested contents for CTD Section 3.2.P.2 and aims to harmonize how pharmaceutical development is presented in regulatory submissions. It primarily applies to drug product development and later...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate, Subhi breaks down ICH Q7. Unlike topic-specific guidelines, Q7 covers the full GMP framework for API manufacturing. This episode walks through how to actually read it and what matters in practice. Covers: • Scope and where GMP begins • API starting material (core concept) • GMP scaling across the process (Table 1) • Quality unit and QMS expectations • Production...

ICH Q6 Explained: Specifications, Control Strategy, and What’s Changing in Q6(R1) In this episode of Let’s ComBinate, Subhi continues the ICH Q-series with ICH Q6 and explains why specifications are central to defining and controlling drug products and drug-device combination products. He breaks down how ICH Q6 formalizes: • what to test (attributes or CQAs tied to safety and efficacy) • how to te...

Subhi Saadeh interviews Lucas Pianegonda, founder of Grad and a plastics expert in medical technology, on how medtech companies actually choose materials—and where it goes wrong. Many teams default to “we’ve always used this” or rely on a molder’s preferred grade, but those shortcuts can drive cost, delay timelines, and create downstream regulatory risk. Lucas breaks down a more structured, data-d...

This is a lesson out of my ASQ CQA course with Andy Robertson, on how to write and classify audit findings. Access the full CQA course here: https://cqeacademy.teachable.com/p/the-cqa-master-class-course I break down key terms like finding, nonconformity, observation, and noncompliance, and explains that everything must tie back to requirements and objective evidence. The episode covers when to wr...

In this episode of Let’s ComBinate, Subhi Saadeh sits down with Joseph Luminiello, CEO and Co-Founder of RCG Intel, to break down how competitive intelligence is actually used in biopharma and why most companies get it wrong. Joe introduces a practical framework built on three pillars: data (scientific publications and congresses), signal intelligence (press releases and filings), and human intell...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate, Subhi Saadeh speaks with Jen Riter about analytical method validation for drug device combination products. The discussion explores how traditional drug analytical validation under ICH Q2 differs from validating functional and mechanical performance methods used for combination products. These methods often require an engineering mindset that incorporates measur...

Continuing the ICH Q series with ICH Q5. This episode explains why Q5 exists, how to read it, and what it means for combination products. Q5 addresses quality challenges unique to biologics made in living systems where products cannot be fully characterized by physical and chemical testing alone and show inherent variability. It harmonizes expectations for viral safety, cell substrate controls inc...

Subhi Saadeh sits down with Georg Digel, founder of Elevate CAPA, to break down what should trigger CAPA, and how to investigate the right way using practical tools and better problem statements. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 00:53 The Hairiest CAPA Case 03:02 Human Error Root Cause 04:58 Common CAPA Misconceptions 06:11 Why Root Cause Fails 12:16 When to Open CAPA 17:26 CAPA Inputs and...

In this episode, Subhi Saadeh sits down with Elaine (Yi Ling Tan), Creator and Principal Consultant at MedTech Chopsticks, to break down China medical device market access and regulatory compliance under the NMPA. The conversation explores why Western companies often underestimate China’s regulatory expectations — particularly when assuming EU or U.S. approvals, ISO standards, or FDA clearances wi...

In this episode of the ICH Q series, Subhi Saadeh covers ICH Q4, which focuses on pharmacopeial harmonization. He explains why ICH Q4 exists, the problem it was created to solve, and how the ICH Q4 framework, Q4A, Q4B, and the Q4B annexes work together to determine when pharmacopeial test methods are considered interchangeable across ICH regions. The episode also explains the role of the Pharmacop...

In this episode of Let’s ComBinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh breaks down ICH Q3, the family of guidelines that define how impurities are identified, evaluated, and controlled in drug substances and drug products. Subhi explains what impurities are, why zero impurities is unrealistic in scalable manufacturing, and how ICH Q3 establishes a risk-based framework to protect patient safety and...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate, host Subhi Saadeh breaks down the ICH Q2 guideline with a practical focus on analytical procedure validation. The discussion covers key definitions, core validation characteristics, and how ICH Q2 applies to drug delivery systems and drug-device combination products. Subhi explains how the revised ICH Q2 guideline aligns with ICH Q14 and what that alignment mean...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs and Devices, host Subhi Saadeh breaks down the 2025 draft update to the ICH Q1 guideline and explains what has actually changed and what has stayed the same. ICH Q1 is the core stability guideline, and with the consolidation of multiple legacy guidelines into a single document, many readers have found the draft overwhelming. In this episode, Subhi steps ba...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh continues the Combinating with ICH series by breaking down how the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines are organized and why that structure matters for drug and drug-device combination products. Subhi walks through the four main ICH guideline families, Quality (Q), Safety (S), Efficacy (E), and Multidiscipl...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, Subhi Saadeh kicks off a new series focused on the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) and its impact on drug and drug–device combination products. Subhi introduces what ICH is, why it was created, and how its guidelines shape global expectations for pharmaceutical quality, safety, efficacy, and lifecycle management. He walks through t...

🚀 Stay ahead in combination products, pharma, and medical devices 👉 https://www.letscombinate.com 🎙️ Listen to more expert discussions on regulations, drug delivery, and quality 👉 https://www.letscombinate.com/ Get expert insights on FDA regulations, risk management, quality systems, and the latest trends in drug-device combination products. In this end of year episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh is joined by Ben Locwin to break down what’s changing in FDA pre-approval and pre-license inspections—and why the “inspection side” of approval is becoming a bigger conversation. They cover how PAIs and PLIs fit into the approval pathway, why Complete Response Letters (CRLs) can be driven by inspection outcomes, and what it wou...

In this short episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, Subhi Saadeh breaks down ICH Q13 and what “continuous manufacturing” actually means. He compares batch vs. continuous, explains how a batch still exists in continuous manufacturing, and covers the essentials quality teams care about: RTD/traceability, control strategy, and disturbances/diversion plus a quick high-level note on validation,...

In this episode of Let's Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh addresses five significant quality issues in the combination product space. This episode provides practical insights and strategies for overcoming these common hurdles to enhance quality and efficiency in developing combination products. 00:00 Introduction and Host Background 00:43 Overview of Development Processes 01:51 Issue...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh speaks with Steven O'Rourke, regulatory strategist and founder of Clarifi, a consultancy helping MedTech, biotech, and novel food startups navigate EU and US regulatory pathways. They discuss: - The hidden costs of regulatory failure and how to avoid them - Why early engagement with regulatory agencies is critical - Global regu...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate, Subhi Saadeh breaks down why more engineers in pharma, medical devices, and combination products should seriously consider becoming auditors. Sparked by a question at a PDA conference: “Why don’t more technical people lead audits?” This episode explores the gap between technical expertise and true audit competency. Subhi explains how engineers who combine their...

In this episode of Let's Combinate: Drugs + Devices host Subhi Saadeh welcomes back Andy Robertson, founder of CQE Academy. Andy shares his transformative journey involving CQE certification and how it boosted his confidence and expertise in quality engineering. They explore the practical applications of Design of Experiments (DOE), including a real-life example where Andy applied DOE concepts...

What happens when you go all in on a generic injectable that no one else wants, and it turns into a one hundred million dollar product in the first year? In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh speaks with Usman Ahmad, former CEO of Nexus Pharmaceuticals and now CEO of Quetzal Therapeutics. Together they trace his journey from corporate finance to building a generics...

In this episode of Let’s Combinate: Drugs + Devices, host Subhi Saadeh speaks with Leonel Venegas, a seasoned quality and regulatory professional who has worked with global leaders including Alexion, Merck, Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon & Cordis), Amgen, and Medtronic. Leonel shares how integrating Good Laboratory Practices (GLP), Good Clinical Practices (GCP), and Good Pharmacovigilance Prac...