Publisher's Letter: Helping You Prepare For The New Pharma Industry

As we head into 2010, the pharmaceutical industry is at a crossroads with consolidations, mergers, more stringent government regulations, and patent expirations. Blockbuster drugs from the 1990s and early 2000s are going off patent, significantly reducing revenue for big pharma and creating the need for a paradigm shift. Companies of all sizes are obsessed with becoming more streamlined and efficient in their current drug manufacturing practices while also trying to determine the best paths for reinvesting savings into new, profitable R&D ventures. The concepts of lean manufacturing and continuous processing are often cited in conjunction with QbD (quality by design) and PAT (process analytical technology) as the saviors of the industry's inefficiencies. However, the adoption and implementation of these concepts has been slow due to the inherent complexities of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

As seen in Pharmaceutical Online The Magazine, 2010 Edition