CDMO Innovation For The Future Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

By Kurt R. Nielsen, Ph.D., President and CEO, Pharmaceutics International, Inc (Pii)

The most impactful innovations are often the result of someone’s efforts to solve a problem. Consider the science behind vaccinations, or more specifically immunizations. In the 18^th Century, the mortality rate for children under the age of five was a staggering 20%. Spurred by the societal pain around him, Edward Jenner applied his own patient observations and conducted what is believed to be the first-ever clinical trial. He introduced small amounts of an infectious disease, cowpox, into a child attempting to boost their immune systems and protect them from the virus. This radical-for-its-day approach to healthcare remains important today.

At Pii, we have a longstanding mantra, “challenges frame opportunities,” and this applies to how we intentionally innovate, modernize, introduce new capabilities, and expand capacity. However, before embarking on something new a typical question we ask ourselves; what problem are we solving and for whom? For us, innovation isn’t simply about doing something within the walls of our facilities.