Good laboratory practice in veterinary diagnostic laboratories

Good laboratory practice (GLP) is a quality system concerned with the organizational process and conditions under which non-clinical health and environmental safety studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, reported and archived. The purpose of Good laboratory practice is to promote the development of quality test data. Comparable quality of test data forms the basis for the mutual acceptance of data among countries. If individual country can confidently rely on test data developed in other countries, duplicative testing can be avoided, thereby saving time and resources. The application of GLP principles should help to avoid the creation of technical barriers to trade and further improve the protection of human health and the environment. The GLP principles should be applied to the non-clinical safety testing items contained in pharmaceutical products, pesticide products, cosmetic products, veterinary drugs/biologicals, food/feed additives, industrial chemicals, etc. These test items may include synthetic chemicals, natural products, biological products, living organisms etc. The purpose of testing is to obtain data on their properties and/or their safety with respect to human health and/or environment. Non-clinical health and environment safety studies covered by GLP principles include work conducted in the laboratory, in green houses and in the field. Unless specifically exempted by national legislation, these principles of GLP apply to all nonclinical health and environmental safety studies required by regulations for the purpose of registering or licensing pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food/feed additives, cosmetics products, veterinary drugs/biologicals and other similar products and for the regulation of industrial chemicals. All these principles are formulated to generate quality data out of the experimental studies or provide a quality biological/diagnostic service to the customer. It needs the firm commitment of the top management for availability of sufficient funds and manpower to implement these quality principles in Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories and Veterinary Biologicals Institutes.