Emerging Trends In Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

The pharmaceutical industry has seen tremendous growth in the recent decade owing to modernization and increased health awareness among the masses. Even before the pandemic took siege of the world, the industry as a whole has seen a major overhaul which led to the adoption of new technologies,management processes and a whole new perspective of the business. Based on input from several sources, some of the recent emerging trends in pharmaceutical manufacturing are as follows:

Artificial Intelligence: More commonly known as AI, this technology essentially substitutes for humans in varying capacities and helps in discovering new drugs for new and old ailments at an accelerated pace. How do you ask? – Automation, patient identification and other regulatory requirements can be optimized and sped up. The repetitive processes can be left with the AI while the medical experts work on more critical matters.
Big Data: Pharmaceutical industries are always about big numbers from every conceivable angle. The data generated during the process of manufacturing drugs and while being used are collated to help companies to make crucial decisions. Historical data and real-time are also used to create a predictive model for companies to use as a reference for critical decision-making scenarios.
Dynamic Production: With the increased demand for quality drugs and adherence to quality checks, companies have begun adopting new ways to match the market dynamics. Better technology, superior manufacturing processes, and skilled personnel are crucial to achieving this. Whether the requirement is large or small, the drugs are delivered in accordance with all regulatory requirements while keeping the business objective in line. Elimination of downtime, reduced manufacturing costs, lower waste, and better products are key outcomes of adopting this approach.
Contract Manufacturing: To meet the ever-increasing demand for such life-saving drugs, most pharmaceutical companies are hard-pressed to manufacture these drugs on a tight schedule. This could lead to manufacturing inferior quality drugs which end up doing more harm than good. The sole task of manufacturing the drugs are outsourced to companies that specialize in replicating the components of the drug. These companies go through several regulatory checks to ensure consistency, quality, and reliability.
Precision medicines: This notion comes from the belief that no individuals are the same and curing their ailment cannot always be done through a standard means at all times. Hence, advanced study in human physiology allows experts to understand how a human body reacts to drugs. This knowledge combined with advanced technological expertise allows drug manufacturers to provide medicines that are personalized and adapt to the patient’s physiology.
Blockchain: Pharmaceutical companies are usually very secretive about their data and protect it to ensure it is not misused by counterfeiters to make substandard drugs. Blockchain technology helps in the digitalization of transactions while securing the data from being tracked and making the pharmaceutical transaction ecosystem safe. Through a series of checks, the data is open only to the stakeholders and no one else.

Granted, no technology or method is infallible and it needs constant work round-the-clock. However, these emerging trends can definitely set the standards and push pharmaceutical manufacturers to work for better results over the course of time.