Dijam Panigrahi, Grid Raster A handful of industries have continued to expand during the COVID-19 pandemic. None are more prominent than the pharmaceutical technology industry. Although the pharma tech industry has faced supply chain challenges in 2020, it has outperformed the broader manufacturing sector. While the pandemic itself is bolstering interest in new pharmaceutical therapies,…
First and Only Digital Inhaler With Built-In Sensors Approved by FDA
Q&A on Scientist’s Bombshell Claim of Gene-Edited Babies
Designer babies might be here sooner than anyone reckoned. A Chinese researcher who says he created gene-edited babies crossed what most scientists consider a forbidden line. It’s not clear if the claim is true and if so, how the twin girls whose DNA reportedly was altered will fare as they grow. There is wide scientific agreement that…
Survey Shows Digital Manufacturing as a Top Priority for Life Sciences
Athenahealth Fetches $5.7 Billion Cash Buyout Offer
Making the Invisible Visible: Rapid Surface Testing for Corrosion Risks
A passive layer protects the surface of stainless steels against corrosion and ongoing dissolution of material. Corrosive damage on piping systems and tanks can occur when the passive layer on new pipes or tanks has not formed properly. TÜV SÜD Chemie Service participated in the assessment of KorroPad, a method for characterizing the passive layer…
Biospecimen Exchange Upgrades Platform to Fuel Broader Specimen Sharing
Pharma 4.0: Industry 4.0 Applied to Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
The four evolutionary stages of manufacturing have brought us to Pharma 4.0. The first stage comprised the implementation of steam power to mechanization. The second involved mass production, and the introduction of the assembly line, powered by electricity. The third stage added computers and automation into the mix, and the fourth is the introduction of…
Digital Transformations Carry Cybersecurity Concerns
Cybercrime is an ever-evolving epidemic. Pharmaceutical companies face threats like phishing emails that pose as mail from reputable companies as well as malware and insider hacking. Some attackers will encrypt files and ask for a ransom to decrypt them, but not all cybersecurity threats are financially motivated—rather, such hackers seek proprietary information like product formulas.…
Pulling Down the Wall Between R&D and Manufacturing
Q: What type of products can be tested using simulation platforms? Lybrook: There’s no limit. Usually, R&D develops the product and then they throw it over the wall to manufacturing, and then manufacturing must figure out the best way to produce the product on their own, looking at automation first and so on. We don’t…