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The Future of Contract Manufacturing in the Pharmaceutical Industry

How Contract Manufacturing Look Like in Pharma?

Many productions can be outsourced to contract manufacturers (CMs) for businesses to continue providing quality products to their customers in a cost-effective manner, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their business, increasing overall productivity and efficiency, and improving their bottom line.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry sought out contract manufacturing in droves. Its increase from US$934.8 billion in 2017 to $1.17 trillion in 2021 demonstrates the industry’s exponential growth, though actual figures could be much higher due to better healthcare becoming a global priority in 2020.

Pharma has been burdened with high financial performance to keep up with demand, particularly when purchasing and operating expensive equipment for pharmaceutical mass production. To combat this, many businesses have begun outsourcing their manufacturing to contract manufacturers (CMs) who have the necessary equipment, facilities, and labor force to carry out more cost-effective production. This type of outsourcing is revolutionary.

Six Contract Manufacturing Trends to Watch in the Future Collaboration with the proper contract manufacturer is becoming a practical trend among businesses, especially as CMs continue developing and expanding their own services to keep up with ever-changing global markets.

Here are six developments in contract manufacturing for the pharmaceutical industry that we anticipate:

1. Improving performance through improved artificial intelligence and electronic platforms (e-platforms) Many CMs incorporate artificial intelligence and other technological innovations to become more cost-effective and reduce production time. The digitization of pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs/CMOS) services will result in greater efficiency in delivering products to target customers.

Data suggests that sophisticated technologies, such as machine learning to identify digital images of cells or automated data gathering and analysis to find answers to complicated diseases like Alzheimer’s, are driving the pharma industry’s growth. Similarly, pharmaceutical contract manufacturers are continually developing AI technologies to increase risk identification and, as a result, pharmaceutical product quality and safety.

2. Remote tracing in real-time Pharmaceutical companies typically audit or supervise their CM’s production and delivery processes to monitor the manufacturing process. However, as contract manufacturers improve their processes, they can monitor product conditions remotely.

This type of real-time tracking is made possible by the Internet of Things (IoT), which enables pharmaceutical supply chain companies to share data and respond quickly to any issues. As a result, the pharma industry will better oversee the manufacturing process and supply chain and more accurately orchestrate outcomes.

3. Supply chain channels that are secure Despite its apparent advantages, electronic communication may jeopardize contract manufacturing’s future. If an internet database is compromised or the formula is delivered through unprotected methods, a patented vaccine formula, for example, can be stolen. As a result, serialization laws are already in place to protect critical data.

Third-party manufacturers typically employ systems that protect production blueprints and sensitive information from malicious entities. This leads us to the next trend in contract manufacturing: blockchain.

4. The introduction of blockchain Another way contract manufacturing models make technological features more secure is by implementing blockchain and other high-level cybersecurity mechanisms. Blockchain is proving to be a valuable business asset in the pharmaceutical industry due to its broad range of applications, all of which are safeguarded by cutting-edge cryptography technology.

Companies in the pharmaceutical supply chain, such as CMs and pharmaceutical companies, will be able to scan and record barcodes along the way using blockchain’s ledger system, producing an audit trail that can be followed by all parties involved. Sensors can be integrated into the supply chain with blockchain, and characteristics like temperature and humidity may be recorded in the ledger system, which is especially crucial for temperature-sensitive drugs like insulin.

In this way, blockchain secures and streamlines the pharmaceutical supply chain by allowing everyone involved to track the medicine’s journey at every stage. This not only makes the operation run more smoothly, but it also aids in proving the authenticity of a drug. Pharmaceutical companies that work with CMs can ensure that their product is handled and distributed safely by implementing this feature.

5. Services tailored to specific niches Developing precision or personalized medicines for small batch productions is a service that we see CMOs in the pharmaceutical industry readily accommodating. This is being aided by the development of new equipment capable of producing small batches of goods quickly.

Precision or personalized medicines end ‘one size fits all’ treatment options for people suffering from specific illnesses or diseases. The pharmaceutical manufacturing process must adapt to small batch sizes to meet these medical requirements.

This also has the advantage of allowing pharmaceutical products to be manufactured and distributed with greater urgency, such as when a last-minute order is required for an out-of-stock medicine in a specific location. Diseases appear out of nowhere in some cases, such as Ebola outbreaks in Africa, and the minimum demand for a medicine varies depending on the case. This necessitates continuous backup production and the ability to produce small batches to avoid the risks of expired medicines.

Late-stage personalization The final advancement in contract manufacturing for pharmaceuticals is late-stage customization, which occurs when a specific good is only pre-assembled, implying that it can be processed at any time depending on market demand.

This reduces the possibility of errors and creates a more efficient production process by freeing up storage space and requiring fewer stored materials. However, the most significant advantage of late-stage customization is ensuring that all labels and packaging are by current legislation.

This is especially important in the pharmaceutical industry, where serialization legislation protects against counterfeit drugs. With more pharmaceutical CMs offering late-stage customization, labels and packaging can be tweaked right up to the last second with variable data, depending on the market, region, or customer to whom the medicine is supplied. This ensures that all pharmaceutical labels and packaging are updated with the latest regulations.