Another exciting year at INTERPHEX has revealed the hot topics on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Is it any surprise that ‘continuous manufacturing’ is one of them? During the INTERPHEX Live panel titled Continuous Manufacturing Opportunities Keep Expanding in Pharma, which will be available for viewing in late August, several industry experts—including Eric Jayjock, PhD, Director of Continuous Manufacturing, Patheon—spoke with moderator Russ Somma on the potential applications of continuous manufacturing.
(Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the INTERPHEX Live 2017 videos, which will appear on Pharmaceutical Processing’s “Watch” button in the upper menu bar as well as Pharmaceutical Processing’s YouTube channel.)
Jayjock divulged additional industry insight in this issue’s article, Continuous Manufacturing: A Practical Industry Solution?, saying he thinks more companies will continue exploring continuous manufacturing as an option in the coming years. The FDA’s encouragement for companies to adopt these new manufacturing technologies and the approval of the first continuous manufacturing line for Johnson & Johnson’s HIV drug last spring seem to lean toward an optimistic outlook.
Other trends have become evident—including customizable clean room solutions. Ralph Melfi, VP of Marketing and Sales, AES Clean Technology, revealed that the host buildings often present unique challenges, which present “many barricades with mechanical support of the space and overall constructability.” He adds that most clients’ processes are “unique to their product and require some level of customization.”
But clean rooms aren’t the only industry sector where customization is highly sought after. Contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) and contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) are often called upon to meet niche market needs, including Spanish CDMO IDIFARMA. The company found a home in niche generics and innovative drugs market and revealed some of the company’s operations and capabilities in the cover story, Meeting Niche Market Needs: How a Small CDMO Excels Through Customization.
This Editor’s Note can also be found in the July/August 2017 issue of Pharmaceutical Processing.
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