Achieving Accelerated Tech Transfer For A COVID-19 Program: Development To Manufacturing

While the pandemic has substantially impacted almost all industries, pharmaceutical companies have taken center stage in the fight against COVID-19 with the rapid development and manufacture of vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. The multi-dimensional challenges and risks associated with this effort require a unified, global response from the pharma industry. Technology transfer is a critical step along the path to large-scale production of COVID-19 therapeutics, but its highly complex nature and requirement for specialized skillsets often renders it a time-consuming endeavor.

A typical tech transfer takes about six months or more, with the timeline depending on aspects such as documentation from the client, capital expenditure (CAPEX) delivery, and raw materials receipt, testing and release. COVID-19 program delays caused by prolonged tech transfer can be prevented by applying proper mitigation, including rapid facility fit assessment, early identification of process gaps, quick sourcing of raw materials, and a risk-based approach to development timelines. These strategies serve an accelerated tech transfer, which can be achieved in as little as three months with the right CDMO partner’s guidance. Inoculating the global population will require our industry to quickly ramp up to unprecedented vaccine production volumes, driven by readily available production capacity and swift technology transfer.