3 Key Things To Consider When Choosing A Partner For Your Tech Transfer

By Anjeanette Ormonde, Drug Product Owner, AbbVie, and Natasha Savage, Associate Director, Business Development, AbbVie

Transferring pharmaceutical production between sites can bring many advantages. As well as providing ample opportunity to make improvements to the product or process, a successful tech transfer can greatly reduce risk by securing the supply chain with manufacturing multiple sites, and it can simplify distribution logistics where those locations are in geographies closer to critical markets. Additionally, tech transfer has significant potential to reduce program costs where the selected site offers more economical production.

Despite these advantages, many companies are hesitant to embark on tech transfer due to concerns over possible supply interruptions, program delays, unexpected costs, or regulatory implications as production sites are filed; all these factors can have associated repercussions for patients. This apprehension stems largely from acknowledging that a product or process cannot be guaranteed to behave identically across sites, yet it is counterbalanced by the inarguable fact that tech transfer is readily expedited through clear communication and strong project management. Provided realistic expectations are established from the outset, potential challenges can be identified and addressed early on to ensure tech transfer runs smoothly.

One way of streamlining tech transfer is to partner with a CMO demonstrating a proven track record across the entire drug development and manufacturing continuum. Not only will an experienced CMO partner have the scientific and technical knowhow to resolve any difficult production steps but they will also be able to leverage a comprehensive equipment train to ensure the right tools are used. Moreover, where CMO expertise is backed by robust analytical capabilities and cutting-edge technologies such as modeling and simulation tools, there should no longer be any reluctance to reap the benefits tech transfer can afford.