Pharmaceutical manufacturing is an essential part of our health industry, and it makes sure that medicines are given to hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. With healthcare costs rising with each passing day, pharmaceutical manufacturing is now more critical than ever in the healthcare industry.
Luckily, pharmaceutical companies have taken advantage of the scientific and technological advances they’ve developed over time to produce better and newer drugs. The embrace of these innovative designs and manufacturing capabilities by pharmaceutical industry companies helps ensure the safety, efficacy, and availability of new medicines to treat intractable diseases.
Below is an overview of the latest pharma healthcare innovations shaping pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Artificial Intelligence
A branch of computer science which is called Artificial Intelligence (AI) involves the creation of intelligent machines or machines that act as though they were intelligent. Many industries have adopted the use of AI, including pharmaceutical manufacturing. This has seen the different startups take advantage of this technological innovation to deal with the numerous issues facing the pharma industry, and at Fagron, this is no exception.
Some of the ways AI has been adopted include:
- Design of successful marketing and post-launch tactics.
- Automate and optimize the manufacturing process.
AI is also being adopted in the drug discovery and development process. This major technological revolution in drug research and development (R&D) to try and hasten the entire process, more so for clinical trials. Combining AI with clinical research and development can enable drug treatments for previously untreatable conditions.
In addition, the use of AI has helped the drug development process by finding the link between gene mutations and diseases. Using AI also simplifies the recognition of eligibility criteria and inclusion of patents to ensure drugs that are under patent are protected from impostors and counterfeiters. Patient inclusion makes identifying cohorts less expensive and much faster during this entire process.
Not only that AI helps in the advancement of pharmaceutical manufacturing but it is also vital in the development of modern data management for hospitals. Epic Healthcare consulting is also a product of the advancements and developments using Artificial Intelligence.
Precision Medicine
The pharmaceutical industry has seen a notable shift in the way medicines are developed in recent years. As a result, the idea of treating each patient uniquely led light to the concept of precision medicine. This new drug development model supports personalized medicine and a patient-centered approach to drug development. Therefore, it gives more comprehensive discernment of how the human body will respond to certain drugs.
The knowledge of precision medicine and advanced manufacturing methods, for instance, additive manufacturing, has made personalized medicine a reality. And with the pharmaceutical industry lately facing some harsh criticism from the public regarding the growing prices of medication, it seems to have learned its lesson.
On the other hand, creating customized medications from active ingredients with the help of compounding pharmacies has also become more popular, as it is often cheaper than retail medicines. It focuses on individual patient needs and offers solutions to unique cases.
This has led pharmaceutical companies in recent years to embrace precision medicine. As a result, medications are becoming more affordable, and manufacturing plants introduce cutting-edge technology to make the process more efficient. Drug exposure models allow for a drug’s pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics to arrive in proper dosages depending on comorbidities, sex, age, and other clinical parameters.
Wearable Tech Integration
Another top innovation in pharmaceutical manufacturing focuses on wearable technology that brings the benefits of innovative technology to patients who use it. Wearable tech integration provides patients with a new level of control and power over their health. And thanks to this tech innovation, pharmaceutical companies no longer need to specialize in manufacturing, marketing, and selling drugs.
The use of innovative wearable technology devices is helping millions of patients manage their conditions and live better, healthier lives. One of the first wearable health devices was the wearable insulin pump connected to smart devices. These innovations allowed access to remote care, thereby allowing patients to immediately send feedback to their doctors and get a quick response to whatever’s ailing them.
There has never been a time when people have had more choice in managing their health, and this is all possible because of wearable tech integration. With this emerging generation of advanced medical devices, you’re guaranteed features that add convenience, enable better management with less effort, and create new ways in which people can participate in their care.
Data Management & Analytics
Research and development are usually costly, and this is one of the main barriers that prevent pharma companies from launching new drugs. As a result, this leads to an inefficient drug development process and the distribution of new medicines. This is where data management and analytics come in handy, allowing pharma companies to leverage big data. Consequently, this results in shorter drug exploration cycles that lead to a faster discovery and dispatch of new drugs.
Another advantage of this groundbreaking pharmaceutical advancement is that there are fewer safety risks to the patients besides bringing products to the market faster. This is possible because big data allows for the side effects of a particular drug in advance, hence reducing time spent during clinical trials. In the long run, this helps to reduce the cost of medicines because the R&D cycles are much shorter.
Flexible Production
Medical advances rely on producing high-quality medicines that are both safe and accessible. This has led to pharmaceutical companies facing constant pressure to manufacture affordable and innovative treatments for patients. The pharmaceutical industry is taking steps to adapt to the challenge of faster drug approvals. By adopting flexible production and fostering pharmaceutical partnerships, companies are able to bring new drugs to market more quickly and meet the needs of patients.
With pharmaceutical manufacturing companies moving towards a flexible production environment, delivering a continuous flow of small- to mid-sized components is key to keeping costs low and quality up. Flexible production has also been embraced because it increases productivity and reduces downtime. This shows why many pharma companies adopt flexible production, looking for innovative ways to improve their manufacturing processes.
Takeaway
The pharmaceutical environment is highly competitive, and companies that don’t react quickly and effectively to changing trends in the marketplace are likely to fall behind and eventually fail. That’s why pharmaceutical firms seek more effective technologies to speed up their drug discovery and development processes.
If you didn’t know of the latest innovations in this industry, this guide has detailed the most important ones to avoid being left behind.
