GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) is part of a quality system covering the manufacture and testing of pharmaceutical dosage forms or drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients, diagnostics, foods, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices. GMPs are guidance that outlines the aspects of production and testing that can impact the quality of a product.

Quality Assurance is a wide-ranging concept, which covers all matters, which individually or collectively influence the quality of a product. It is the sum total of the organised arrangements made with the objective of ensuring that medicinal products are of the quality required for their intended use. Quality Assurance therefore incorporates Good Manufacturing Practice .

Good manufacturing practice is that part of quality assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate to their intended use and as required by the marketing authorization.

GMP is aimed primarily at diminishing the risks inherent in any pharmaceutical production. Such risks are essentially of two types: cross contamination (in particular of unexpected contaminants) and mix-ups (confusion) caused by, for example, false labels being put on containers.

Good Manufacturing Practice is concerned with both production and quality control.

Poor quality medicines are not only a health hazard, but a waste of money for both governments and individual consumers.

Poor quality medicines can damage health

A poor quality medicine may contain toxic substances that have been unintentionally added.
A medicine that contains little or none of the claimed ingredient will not have the intended therapeutic effect.