Drug Delivery Growth Spurt

What we asked: “Looking ahead to the next 5–10 years, what will be the key disruptors and/or what can be improved upon in the pharma industry?”

Response from: Deborah Smook, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for TurboFil Packaging Machines LLC

The pharma industry can and will take a quantum leap forward upon the convergence of two parallel trends: next-generation drug delivery and widespread adoption of automation practices. The former will revolutionize the ways in which patients access life-changing therapies; the latter will revolutionize the way brand owners and contract manufacturers produce them. 

Drug delivery techniques are in the midst of a “sophistication growth spurt,” comprising an increased trend toward – and refinement of – advanced delivery solutions including prefilled syringes and autoinjectors, novel nasal systems, and drug-device combination products that essentially erase the increasingly blurred lines between drug products and their customized administration apparatuses. Thanks in part to careful and precise drug targeting, local administration and individualized therapy, these systems are leading to safer, more effective treatments, and carry potential for improved therapeutic outcomes. 

Of course, developing and commercializing such next-level drug products presents a range of complex challenges. Though by no means a panacea, many of these hurdles can be overcome through the full-fledged embrace of automation technologies. Notably, the pharma industry at large has been heading in this direction for some time, prompted by a variety of root causes. For example, ongoing labor shortages continue to affect pharma manufacturers, pushing them toward automation. Also, companies are struggling to hire experienced mechanics and engineers to maintain equipment, prioritizing equipment that requires minimal maintenance and can be easily changed over by operators.

But simply put, next-level drugs will require next-level automation solutions. Considering the niche markets such drugs tend to address, this means realizing the seemingly contradictory combination of automation and customization – for example, front-end automated filling and back-end automated inspection procedures for low-volume and potentially small batch size drugs. 

Over the longer-term, the gains are too compelling for technology not to advance to meet the moment. Streamlined, precision production, enhanced containment and sterility mechanisms, and other ancillary yet critical benefits will result from automation’s increased incorporation into advanced drug categories.

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