Accelerating Drug Development Using Robotic Sterile Fill-Finish Platforms

By Mark Shepanski, Vice President of Global Program Management, Jeff Clement, Executive Director, CDMO Business Development North America, PCI Pharma Services

The sterile fill-finish market has markedly evolved in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The very high demand for fill-finish of the mRNA vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused upheaval in the sector, with many drug makers losing their production slots at CDMOs.

There is increased interest in accessing end-to-end solutions from local outsourcing partners and raw material suppliers to streamline supply chains, reduce costs and lead times, and mitigate risk.

The greater demand for fill-finish services is not only attributed to COVID-19-related products but also to the general growth of the biologics sector. At PCI Pharma Services, for instance, more than 50% of our fill-finish projects are large biomolecules. The increased industry demand has resulted in capacity shortages, not only for fill-finish activities but also for the production of excipients and various other consumables used in the fill-finish process.

In this article, explore sterile fill-finish trends along with key attributes of and considerations for implementing robotic sterile fill-finish systems.