The Technological Make-Over of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
by James P. Outreach & PR ExecutiveManufacturing
has been revolutionized by technology. However, pharmaceutical manufacturers
are only just beginning to see the potential of innovative product creation.
The potential benefits of technology in healthcare are vast, and revolutionary
techniques are clearing the way for a cost-effective, efficient, and tailored
approach to medicinal production.
One study
suggests that the cost of bringing a new drug to market is upwards of $985 million.
This is then reflected in the cost paid by insurance companies and end-users. The need to accelerate technology to
drive these costs down is essential, and innovation is key. Here we look at the
technology which is allowing pharmaceutical manufacturing to be revolutionized.
Building on 3D printing
While
medicine is no stranger to the marvel of 3D printing, pharmaceutical
manufacturing is yet to hop on the trend. 3D-printed teeth and prosthetics are already
commonly used in the health industry to assist patients. However, there is a
distinct lack of approved 3D-printed pharma products in the US marketplace.
Medicines
can be produced through 3D printing. This has interesting benefits, including
unique tailoring to a specific patient’s needs.
In 2015,
the US FDA approved the first medicine that had been produced by 3D printing. The precision of the machine
allowed manufacturers to create a pill with a high drug load. In one dose,
patients were now able to receive 1,000 milligrams of levetiracetam. This was a
revolutionary treatment for sufferers of epileptic seizures. However, since
then, there has been limited progress which may be due to
the high cost of this method.
While
having a 3D printer in your local pharmacy is a futuristic concept, the idea of
additive pharmaceutical manufacturing is driving the industry towards a future
where everyone’s ailments can be individually tackled.
Accelerated automation
The
pharmaceutical industry looks beyond itself for inspiration when innovating. Of
course, automation has played a large part in manufacturing for near to a
century. For example, in vehicle manufacturing, automation is used to reduce
costs and better perform intricate tasks. Now, pharma businesses are looking
to do just the same.
Previously,
scientists have become curbed by the manual task of individual genome testing.
However, automation is allowing manufacturers to access a huge amount of data, enabling them to create unique molecular profiles of their customers and
provide them with the best care.
Of course,
technology in the workplace must be safe, especially when working with
medicine. The use of electrical enclosure boxes ensures that operators are safe
when dealing with electrical machinery and that the stringent sanitation
practices are maintained.
Machine learning teaches
us more
Artificial
intelligence is common across many sectors. In general manufacturing, it can
collate data and calculate the most efficient processes. This then allows it to
create products and optimize the entire process. In pharmaceutical
manufacturing, the process of medicinal engineering can be improved through
digital reform.
Machine
learning, with access to patient data, can compare individual profiles and
medicine effectiveness. By doing this, manufacturers can adapt their medicines
to create improved predictions on the demand of medicines and their
effectiveness. This can allow pharmacists to prioritize medicines and amend
their ingredients for maximum effect. This has a general benefit to everyone.
The
technology can even be used to simulate real experiments. By predicting the
outcomes of experiments, technology will be able to predict which medicines are
the most effective. It can also note which projects pharmaceutical
manufacturers should pursue, and they may even calculate cost and source
ingredients for completing these tasks.
Medicine is
constantly improving, producing new drugs for a variety of illnesses. The
innovation of technology in pharmaceutical engineering is allowing for
individually tailored drugs to be produced for customers who require special
attention while driving down the costs of production. Equally, the attention
and precision of technology including machine learning and automation are
allowing for more accurate medicines to be created for the benefit of everyone.
Sources
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Created on Nov 30th 2020 13:42. Viewed 404 times.