Industry Insights

41. 5 Keys To Avoid Drug Development Delays When Using CDMOs 3/15/2019

    Dealing with CDMOs can be a daunting task for some drug developers. Here are five key factors to keep in mind when trying to troubleshoot drug development delays by selecting the right partner.

42. FDA’s New Guidance On CMC For Gene Therapy INDs: What You Need To Know 7/23/2018

    The FDA recently issued for public comment six draft guidance documents intended to serve as part of a modern, comprehensive framework for how CBER will help advance the field of gene therapy. 

43. Separating, Optimizing Device Evaluation And Design Verification A Key To Medtech Success 1/9/2019

    In medical device design and development, two critical development activities — device evaluation and device design verification — often are treated as one, and this behavior is shockingly detrimental to successful medical device development.

44. Make Sure Your Foreign Vendors Are FDA Compliant — And Stay That Way 5/4/2018

    Choosing a foreign vendor is no different than choosing a domestic vendor; foreign vendors are held to the same FDA standards as domestic vendors. Manufacturers must have assurance that their foreign vendor will not be the source of major issues.  

45. 5 Best Practices Merck Used To Implement Strategic Sourcing Partnerships 3/21/2019

    When Merck & Co., Inc. decided to shift from limited, tactical, piecemeal outsourcing to a strategic outsourcing model, the company implemented 10 key elements that were critical to the success of these strategic partnerships.

46. Applying The Johari Window To Manage Biopharma Supply Chain Risk 2/14/2020

    The recalls of generic versions of the drug valsartan and related products losartan and irbesartan due to nitrosamine impurities have put the spotlight on sourcing strategies and the globalization of the pharma supply chain. The Johari Window model can help minimize the risk inherent in a complex supply chain.

47. New Bill Aims To Drive Insulin Price Reductions 10/1/2019

    The Insulin Price Reduction Act (IPRA) proposes to drive price reductions by drug companies by providing them with incentives to roll back the list price of insulin products to 2006 levels. Specifically, IPRA would make it illegal for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurers to recover rebates from manufacturers that reduce the prices they charge wholesalers for insulin to those 2006 levels.

48. Biosimilar Automatic Substitution In The EU5: Current State & Future Outlook 10/8/2019

    At present, automatic substitution of biosimilars at a pharmacy level is not practiced in the EU5. Recent and future changes in the EU5 market access environment and regulatory landscape may favor automatic substitution, but implications on the biosimilar market are yet to be determined.

49. Recalibrating The Supply Chain For Allogeneic Cell Therapies 2/25/2019

    In November 2018, I wrote an article about establishing a supply chain for autologous cell therapies — those formulated using a patient’s own cells. This partner piece highlights considerations that need to be taken into account when developing a commercialization and supply chain strategy for allogeneic cell therapies.

50. An Introduction To Forced Degradation Studies For Drug Substance & Drug Product 1/9/2020

    The forced degradation study is a vital analytical aspect of the drug development program for small molecules. Commonly known as stress testing, it is carried out to demonstrate as specificity to developed a stability-indicating analytical method, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). As per ICH Q1A, stability studies must be performed to propose the shelf life of new drug substances and/or drug products.