Abstract

Electronic laboratory notebooks: An evolutionary change to pharmaceutical industry

Author(s): Mitesh Phale, Dipti Korgaonkar

Computer forms an important part of technology to increase the efficiency and quality of work in pharmaceutical industry. Regulatory authorities recognize the laboratory notebooks as the primary evidence for the patent claim. Electronic LaboratoryNotebooks (ELNs) are the state of the art technique for collaborative research in science. With the wide applications of ELN, today it has laid the foundation in pharmaceutical companies. The authenticity and reliability of the records maintained with ELN, and also its regulatory acceptance make it advantageous over the traditional methods of record keeping in pharmaceutical companies. The ELN technology with its advantages distinctly outweighs the disadvantages and risk associated with the changes in record keeping procedures. Thus the adoption of electronic media for record keeping is not a revolutionary change, but an evolutionary process which will have a wider acceptance in the coming future.