Glossary
Good distribution practice (GDP)
The quality standards governing wholesale distribution of medicinal products and materials: storage and transport conditions, traceability, documentation and controls that keep quality intact between manufacturer and recipient.
Why it matters on a certificate
A certificate speaks for the batch as tested at the manufacturer. Whether the delivered goods still match it depends on the distribution chain: temperature, handling, repackaging and the paperwork that proves custody. For traders, GDP is the discipline that keeps the certificate's claims attached to the physical goods.
A worked example
A temperature-sensitive material arrives with a flawless certificate but no record of transport conditions. The document review passes; the receiving decision still waits on evidence the cold chain held.
Examples are synthetic and illustrative; any limits shown are not the requirements for any particular material.
The COA Validator checks the element this term describes on every certificate it reads, and reports what is present, what is missing and what does not add up.