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It's better together Cell and gene therapies are altering what’s possible in the world of medicine – but the scope of their implementation depends on the scale of manufacturing. It is to this end...
Helping the medicine go down Excipients are often described as inert or inactive, in the context of formulating drugs. But this is only partially true, as while they don’t interact with proteins, enzymes,...
Eyes on the prize The idea of an intelligent supply chain with end-to-end visibility has been talked about for years. But how much of this potential has been realised in the supply chain of...
Reducing risk, improving quality There’s always risk involved when transporting cargo, but when the transported product is highly reactive to temperature that risk can increase dramatically – especially for the...
Crossing the barrier The blood-brain barrier protects against invasion by blood-borne pathogens in an effort to safeguard the microenvironment that sustains complex neural function. But what happens when...
Extending the effect Chronic diseases often come with a burden of administering medication routinely throughout the week, or in many cases, the day. Proponents of long-acting injectables wish to change...
Read the small print The labels on drug packaging are one of the main drug/patient interfaces in a clinical trial, especially one that is conducted remotely. Despite this, confusion involving packaging...
Seeking value in serialization The concept of serialisation was primarily a response to the counterfeit drug challenge of the early 2000s. Though technological advances and regulatory development never fully...
Trial and error Covid-19 transformed clinical trials practically overnight, with remote testing and quicker approvals suddenly becoming a reality the world over. These shifts aren’t hard to...
A harmony of interests Data sets obtained through collaboration across multiple countries are an important way to strengthen research findings, and in some cases can be necessary to study rare diseases due...
The right temperature Temperature control can be the difference between a supply of usable products and a shortfall that delays a trial and increases the overall cost for sponsors. This level of risk...
Backwards about moving forwards Clinical trials have long been famous for their sophistication and lengthy timespans. But traditionally, organisers have paid less attention to what happens once the research is done...
Flex and adapt: the new onsite model As some companies move part of their workforce back into the office to afford workers the flexibility to work in a hybrid model, new skills and considerations must be developed to...
Data is king The advent of dedicated software has made it easier to keep track of the large volume of information involved in running a clinical trial. Yet the multiplicity of requirements...
Track and trace There is nothing like a pandemic for demonstrating the necessity for serialisation, interoperability, and more advanced analytics and tracking. Tim Gunn asks Rob Handfield, the...
Outsource and intake For decades, pharmaceutical companies have relied on contract development and manufacturing companies (CDMOs) to develop drugs. But though these third-party contractors proved their...
Double agents Looking at a vial of liquid or a solid pill, it’s easy to see pharmaceuticals as simple objects rather than a complex array of chemicals and raw materials, delicately balanced to...
The struggle to supply Pharmaceutical supply chains are still reacting to the pressures of the pandemic, though they have mostly held steady and avoided many of the potential risks. The stresses placed...
Good things, small packages Containers have been an inescapable part of the pharma supply chain forever – but it’s only with the rise of sophisticated new treatments, and the consequences of the pandemic,...
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