From “serialization” to “coding” to “track-and-trace,” the pharmaceutical industry is rampant with terms that point to the quest for transparency. The latest of these is “aggregation,” a burgeoning method of data collection aimed at simplifying inventory and the supply chain. While still in its infancy, the technique can help to combat counterfeiting, theft, inefficiencies, and confusion as a whole. Yet, with every new process comes challenges, requiring manufacturers considering aggregation to seek best practices for implementation.
Back in March, UPS and autonomous drone technology provider Matternet announced they had collectively begun delivering medical samples via unmanned drones at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus near Raleigh, N.C.
Though it’s only natural to expect animated scientific discussion between the FDA and USP which have long been partners-in-science, I found myself caught off-guard by just how firmly the FDA has been putting its foot down and making its thoughts known on the role certain standards — in particular, USP monographs — should (or should not play) in biologics development.
In this first of what will be a two-part article, USP's Fouad Atouf highlights the challenges presented by the FDA’s newest guidance while remaining optimistic that the large amount of data recommended today will open doors to more efficient development in the (hopefully) near future.
Despite the importance of the process the FDA is outlining in the guidance, I’ve surprisingly heard little chatter — positive or negative — about what the agency is now outlining and what this may mean for biosimilars and the biosimilar regulatory paradigm moving forward. Here are a couple of the biggest takeaways to note.
Though there is a large handful of countries that, to date, don’t have biosimilar pathways established, a few countries have been slowly gearing up to be leaders in paving the way for biologics and biosimilars. In this article, I’ll discuss the potential of these three markets, as well as the business considerations Challand highlighted for companies considering entering the MENA region.
Overall, the growth in Asia’s bioprocessing capacity, particularly in China, has been impressive, albeit from a low baseline. Capacity growth over the past five years has been over 20 percent annually. New facility construction and expansions reflect the demand for biologics for domestic consumption, while other facilities are beginning to develop manufacturing strategies for GMP production for major markets, with capacity involving commercial-scale stainless steel and single-use bioreactors.
Virtual pharmaceutical/biotech companies often receive conflicting advice regarding the need to establish an internal cGMP quality system. Either they’re told “you need an extensive set of cGMP SOPs” or “you don’t need any cGMP SOPs at all.” Which advice is correct?
This is Part 1 of a two-part article discussing important areas to consider when developing devices for combination products — and why they need to be addressed early in development.
If the activity happening in state legislatures across the country heralds change at the federal level — and it likely does — pharmaceutical manufacturers ought to buckle their seatbelts.
Delivering cell and gene therapies is an expensive and highly complex process, and there are a number of critical metrics that manufacturers should consider when selecting treatment sites. Subsequent activities — preparing sites to receive and initiate therapy, and managing site training and ongoing certification — can be equally, if not more, challenging.
An FDA inspection is very different than an ISO certification or surveillance audit — too often, organizations “prepare” for scheduled ISO audits by playing catch-up on activities that have been neglected or otherwise overlooked. The catch-up strategy will be problematic for FDA inspections and will generally result in inspectional observations.
We seem to be buried in standard operating procedures (SOPs). So how the heck are companies supposed to make the SOP mountain smaller through harmonization?
As follow-on biologics litigation expands, and the FDA provides additional information on the approval process for follow-on biologics, industry and observers are gaining clarity on how the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) functions in practice. This article provides insight into two recent developments that will impact strategic and economic considerations for biologics developers.
Appropriating BPOG testing on single-use connectors to mitigate the risks of E&L, as demonstrated in this article, is crucial to delivering safe and effective drugs.
Steps to ensure products are free from microbial contamination and achieve a sufficient level of risk mitigation against potential bioburden issues for these applications.
Regulatory approval of a biosimilar requires comprehensive knowledge of both the process and the molecule while process development with the end goal in mind will help to achieve a robust manufacturing process.
Choosing an offsite storage facility means asking the right questions to determine if the storage provider has the appropriate risk mitigation infrastructure in place, beginning with a realistic threat assessment.
To help meet the needs of both large- and small-scale operations, suppliers of sterilizing-grade filters have developed new products and technologies to help meet the needs of today’s biomanufacturing processes. Industry trends toward intensified processing and increased implementation of single-use systems are changing approaches to sterile filtration and bioburden control in biomanufacturing processes.
While traditional small molecule drug products usually consist of pure chemical substances that are easily analyzed after manufacture, biologics such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are much more complex.
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