Analytical methods are used throughout upstream and downstream processes to help ensure the desired molecule is being produced with the desired purity. In addition to having the right molecule, quality must be confirmed in terms of glycosylation, oxidation, aggregates, activity and concentration. The analytical package must also ensure that all impurities from the manufacturing process and environment are consistently removed.
The pharmaceutical industry is migrating rapidly toward a world where drugs, vaccines, and specialized therapies are available on demand to patients anywhere around the globe. Whether accelerating clinical trials to bring new drugs to market or devel oping biosimilars to give more patients access to established commercial drugs, small and midsize production facilities stand to benefit from growing demand. To do so, however, they must be prepared to handle a broader mix of products and increase throughput without sacrificing safety or reliability, while at the same time keeping life-saving medica tions affordable. Such challenges become more difficult when working with products that must be stored and shipped in a frozen state.
The natural characteristics of antibodies, such as high binding affinity, specificity to a wide variety of targets, and good stability, make them ideal therapeutic candidates for many diseases. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in particular, deliver promising therapeutic results in several different disease areas, such as autoimmunity, oncology, and chronic inflammation. Researchers’ abilities to improve the breadth of antibodies have been aided by innovative technologies for antibody discovery, for instance, through humanization of mouse antibodies and phage display. However, advanced antibody design techniques create the need for new screening methods so that lead candidates can be quickly and effectively identified as early in the development process as possible.
Around the world, the “V” words are on everyone’s lips: Virus and Vaccines. In response to the urgent need for a vaccine for COVID-19, researchers are, at time of publication, running 500+ clinical trials (and counting) on a number of antivirals, antibodies and vaccines. Promising possibilities range from novel new drugs/vaccines, repurposing treatments currently indicated for HIV, Ebola and malaria, to monoclonal antibodies and immune serum.
CSI analyses the role of comparators in different trial designs and offers expert advice on robust methodology for choosing the most appropriate comparators. Case studies provide real insight on how to choose comparators for rare diseases and oncology studies.
The concept of patient centricity is still relatively new within clinical trials. For too long, the most important person in the trial has been overlooked… the patient. Here, we explore the benefits of conducting a more patient-centric trial for the patient, site and sponsor through mobile, or ‘off -site’ visits. These advantages are much greater than purely financial, although the financial implications of running a more patient-focused clinical trial may previously have deterred some from this approach. Home nursing in clinical trials continues to be thought of as a high value “premium” service, which many sponsors decline in an attempt to remain within budget for the trial. However, is the actual cost of off -site nursing more expensive than the traditional site model?
Cell line development is a critical step in upstream process development for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Unfortunately, the search for the bestproducing clone can be labor- and resource-intensive and is often compared with looking for a needle in a haystack. Cells must first be engineered to produce the biologic of interest and the cell line generated from a high producing clone must deliver a sufficiently high titer to support clinical studies, and ultimately commercialization of the therapeutic.
This guide concentrates on the core, underlying principles of quality that are pivotal – explicitly or implicitly – to all quality management standards that impact on research and development.
This is an exciting time for oncology trials, year on year record numbers of therapeutics are launched and the indications for many drugs on the market are increasing rapidly. Immunotherapies and next generation biotherapeutics are being approved for more tumour types and a growing percentage of the late stage oncology pipeline are targeted biologics.
Pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies face a significant challenge to get their drug products developed and launched quickly, all while keeping development costs down. One of the most common ways for companies to lower development costs is to manage fixed headcounts. But when the same scope of work still needs to be completed by a designated time with fewer staff members, this presents a significant challenge. So, how do bio/pharma companies solve this ever so common challenge of increasing output while decreasing headcount? There are essentially three options: temporary staffing, outsourcing, or insourcing.
Argonaut Manufacturing Services Set to Expand Drug Product Fill/Finish Capabilities with Significant Capital Investment
Carlsbad, CA, 10th January 2023 - Argonaut Manufacturing Services
(‘Argonaut’), a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) serving the
life sciences, molecular diagnostics, and biopharma industries, today
announced a capital investment led by majority shareholder Telegraph
Hill Partners that will be focused on expansion at their Carlsbad, CA,
manufacturing facilities. More info >>
When planning a clinical trial for a rare disease, it is important to have a holistic understanding of your patient population. You want to be aware of where your patients are coming from, and what it is like to walk in their shoes. These patients need your trial just as much as you need them; even from the earliest stages, conceptualize your rare disease trial as an altruistic relationship between the patient population and your study.
More info >>
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Packaging Congress 2023 (PHARMAP 2023)
12-13 June 2023, Hilton Geneva Hotel & Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Packaging Congress 2023 (PHARMAP 2023) gathers top-level management from pharmaceutical
companies of manufacturing, primary and secondary packaging, purchasing,
and supply chain and procurement sectors, CMOs and CDMOs leaders, heads
from government and institution on 12-13, June, 2023 in Geneva,
Switzerland. More info >>
