Pharma/Life Sciences

According to an original investigation published in JAMA in 2020 using publicly available data, drug companies spend $1 billion on research and development to bring one new medicine to market.This study included 63 of 355 new therapeutic drugs developed by 47...

Across the world, patients depend on medications to treat infectious diseases, as well as special therapeutics for orphan drugs and rare diseases, clinical trials for new drugs to treat cancer and other conditions. The process of drug discovery is an expensive one. ...

It is widely known that developing new drugs is an incredibly costly, time consuming venture that requires millions of dollars and years of effort, but that is only the beginning of the story.  Innovation and breakthroughs in medical science do not necessarily...

Over a period of several decades, the pharmaceutical industry has shifted, transitioning towards a practice of outsourcing not only manufacturing and packaging but also essential services including drug commercialization, e-pedigree services, product launch and so...

What Is Postponement Packaging? Also known as late-stage customization, the term postponement packaging refers to the supply chain practice of retaining a product in a standardized format for as long as possible.  This involves making the drug product packaging...

Pharmaceutical manufacturing organizations label and package all kinds of drug products every year and do so with increasing levels of complexity.  From adding package inserts that focus on patient compliance, to blister packs, closure systems, plastic containers with...

With its significant investment in biomedical research, the United States is one of the foremost leaders worldwide in drug discovery, research and development, however, it is no longer as prominent in drug manufacturing.  Over the past few decades, drug manufacturers...

First, consumers and professionals in the pharmaceutical industry feared that the trade wars would cause supply chain disruptions.  Now, a more insidious risk has emerged, one more challenging to conquer.  In this challenging time of the COVID-19 outbreak, many...

As of February 13th, 60 million people in China have been quarantined to prevent the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.  For those of you keeping a close eye on the situation to make informed decisions, here is a real time coronavirus COVID-19 global case tracker by...

Pharma contract manufacturers help fast track new drug products to marketWhat is a contract manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry? Did you know that only about one third of pharmaceutical manufacturing is actually conducted in house?  It’s true.  From cell...

Back to Basics:  The Essential Role Pharma Distributors Play in Today’s Supply Chain Did you know that pharmaceutical distributors handle 92% of the prescription drug products that flow through the secure ecosystem in the United States? Essential to the process,...

Over the past decade or so, the pharmaceutical industry has changed dramatically.  As costs have risen, pharmaceutical manufacturers have scaled back operations and outsourced manufacturing, drug development, research, testing and laboratory functions as well as the...

Why Has Serialization Become Necessary in the Pharma/Life Sciences Industry? Helps to eradicate counterfeit prescription drugs and protect consumers Serialization increases the efficiency of the pharma supply chain Improves inventory visibility Enables collection of...

First, a Primer about Specialty Drugs In previous blogs, we have mentioned that specialty pharmaceuticals are on the rise.  Since 1990, the number of specialty drug approvals has increased dramatically.  What characteristics are used to define if a pharmaceutical...

What is pharmaceutical serialization? By assigning a unique serial number to each pharmaceutical product, goods can be identified and tracked throughout the entire pharmaceutical supply chain.  Information including the product origin, shelf life and batch number...

The pharmaceutical industry is in the throes of a massive sea change, one that will undoubtedly impact human health for decades.  Due to forces such as the need to curb drug development and operational costs, dealing with a troubling skills gap across the industry and...

Increased emphasis on improving patient outcomes, reducing drug pricing and expediting drug development have put the pharmaceutical industry at odds with regulators and the patients it serves.  From top pharmaceutical companies to smaller biopharmaceutical companies...

With the recent Congressional hearings regarding skyrocketing prescription drug prices, consumers and politicians are struggling to find ways to rein in pharmaceutical product costs. Other industries are finding the pace of change daunting these days, but the...

Yes, the Wall Street Journal is correct.  The pharmaceutical and health care industries are in the throes of massive change.  From a transformation to value-based health care and prescription drug pricing to the rise of biologics and specialty pharmaceuticals, the...

The need for refrigerated cold storage warehouses and temperature-controlled transportation is on the rise due to the rise in biologic drug development If you are like most Americans, you have seen the ads by pharmaceutical companies on television and social media...

The cost of prescription drugs and medical insurance is on the minds of many Americans.   Many consumers wonder why costs seem to be spiraling out of control as compared to that of other Western industrialized nations.  Although the need for high quality, affordable...

Consolidation and Vertical Integration in the Health Value Chain is Disrupting the Pharmaceutical and Health Care Industries In terms of future personal finance and health, year after year, when asked, the major concerns of American consumers include Social Security,...

Every year, health care and prescription drug pricing are among the major issues and top stories of the day.  From Facebook posts to articles in print issues of national magazines, the issue of affordable healthcare is one that interests and concerns consumers.  The...

  Today, more than ever before, it is easier for consumers to reach for their computer, Smartphone or tablet before making purchasing decisions.  Consumers can (and do) conduct research online to learn about such issues as what is driving up the cost of health...

Implementation of DSCSA mandates has provided an opportunity to transition from a complex traditional pharmaceutical supply chain to a digital pharmaceutical supply chain.  By executing on the DSCSA vision, a system of electronic drug product traceability will improve...

How DSCSA Impacts 3PLs In 2013, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) was passed, ushering in an era of changes across the life sciences and pharmaceutical supply chain.  Designed to eventually create a digital, interoperable system capable of storing the...

From the United Kingdom to the United States, Canada and China, countries around the globe have put into place governmental regulations to safeguard the health and well-being of consumers with respect to medical devices, pharmaceuticals and life science goods.  In...