[F11. The competent authority of the Member State concerned shall ensure, by means of repeated inspections, and if necessary unannounced inspections, and, where appropriate, by asking an Official Medicines Control Laboratory or a laboratory designated for that purpose to carry out tests on samples, that the legal requirements governing medicinal products are complied with.
The competent authority may also carry out unannounced inspections at the premises of manufacturers of active substances used as starting materials, or at the premises of marketing authorisation holders whenever it considers that there are grounds for suspecting non-compliance with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice referred to in Article 47. These inspections may also be carried out at the request of a Member State, the Commission or the Agency.
In order to verify whether the data submitted in order to obtain a conformity certificate comply with the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia, the standardisation body of the nomenclatures and the quality norms within the meaning of the Convention relating to the elaboration of the European Pharmacopoeia (1) (European Directorate for the quality of Medicinal Products) may ask the Commission or the Agency to request such an inspection when the starting material concerned is the subject of a European Pharmacopoeia monograph.
The competent authority of the Member State concerned may carry out inspections of starting material manufacturers at the specific request of the manufacturer himself.
Such inspections shall be carried out by officials representing the competent authority who shall be empowered to:
(a) inspect the manufacturing or commercial establishments of manufacturers of medicinal products or of active substances used as starting materials, and any laboratories employed by the holder of the manufacturing authorisation to carry out checks pursuant to Article 20;
(b) take samples including with a view to independent tests being carried out by an Official Medicines Control Laboratory or a laboratory designated for that purpose by a Member State;
(c) examine any documents relating to the object of the inspection, subject to the provisions in force in the Member States on 21 May 1975 placing restrictions on these powers with regard to the description of the manufacturing method;
(d) inspect the premises, records and documents of marketing authorisation holders or any firms employed by the marketing authorisation holder to perform the activities described in Title IX, and in particular Articles 103 and 104.]
2.Member States shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that the manufacturing processes used in the manufacture of immunological products are properly validated and attain batch-to-batch consistency.
[F13. After every inspection as referred to in paragraph 1, the officials representing the competent authority shall report on whether the manufacturer complies with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice laid down in Article 47 or, where appropriate, with the requirements laid down in Articles 101 to 108. The content of such reports shall be communicated to the manufacturer or marketing authorisation holder who has undergone the inspection.]
[F24. Without prejudice to any arrangements which may have been concluded between the Community and third countries, a Member State, the Commission or the Agency may require a manufacturer established in a third country to submit to an inspection as referred to in paragraph 1.
5. Within 90 days of an inspection as referred to in paragraph 1, a certificate of good manufacturing practice shall be issued to a manufacturer if the outcome of the inspection shows that the manufacturer complies with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice as provided for by Community legislation.
If inspections are performed as part of the certification procedure for the monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia, a certificate shall be drawn up.
6. Member States shall enter the certificates of good manufacturing practice which they issue in a Community database managed by the Agency on behalf of the Community.
7. If the outcome of the inspection as referred to in paragraph 1 is that the manufacturer does not comply with the principles and guidelines of good manufacturing practice as provided for by Community legislation, the information shall be entered in the Community database as referred to in paragraph 6.]