Innovation is at the heart of the pharmaceutical industry. Researchers develop innovative approaches to understanding biological processes, including the identification of potential new targets for which novel drug substances are developed.

New technologies are continually being introduced to improve the efficiency and productivity of discovery, development  and manufacturing activities. And all the while, the goal is  to provide safe and effective medicines to patients in need.

In this last Pharma’s Almanac of 2016, we look at recent notable innovations in the pharmaceutical industry, from discovery to packaging. Nice Insight editors and industry experts weigh in on  key trends in innovation and strategies for success in the future.  You will also find added news and trends sections, information  about our online debut and other new Nice Insight offerings.

In this issue’s Industry Leader Insight article, Unither Pharmaceuticals General Manager Kevin Haehl highlights the need for patients, caregivers, payers, governments and the pharmaceutical industry to work together  to reduce the cost of poor patient adherence.

The benefits of implementing continuous downstream bioprocessing are outlined by Michelle Najera, Ph.D., a Development Scientist, Downstream Process Development, with CMC Biologics.

Virtual Panelists explore the deal-structuring shift in the pharmaceutical market from an investor perspective, as reported by Andrew Ferraro, a Biopharma Investment Contributor with Nice Insight.

How dynamic supply chain demands are driving innovation in global healthcare is the focus of the feature story.

For Nice Insight, Emilie Branch, Strategic Content Manager, reports on recent news from the pharma industry in the new “This Just In” section, while in the debut “Trends Trading” column, Boobalan Pachaiyappan, Ph.D, Market Research Manager, focuses on drug discovery with a review of two promising orphan drugs. Andrew Warmington, Ph.D., the new Executive Content Director, reports on Nice Insight’s Content Community, PharmasAlmanac.com, which is now live.

Haig Armaghanian, Managing Consultant and Josh Dunn, Division Lead, Strategy & Execution, Nice Consulting, provide perspectives on drug pricing strategies and practices.

Guy Tiene, Strategic Content Director with Nice Insight, discusses industry expert opinions on how packaging differentiation equates to brand loyalty in a Virtual Panel, and in an In Conversation piece, he shares insights from Uwe Harbauer, Senior Vice President of the Pharma Business Unit of Bosch Packaging Technology, on how equipment supplier/pharma company relationships have changed over time.

The importance of equipment redeployment for achieving cost efficiency in manufacturing operations is outlined by Adam Covitt, Vice President of Federal Equipment Company. 

Robert E. Chew, PE, President of Commissioning Agents, Inc., highlights the advantages afforded by the ability to secure commercial-scale GMP capacity on demand. 

In this issue’s Roundtable, industry leaders discuss the state of serialization, the impact of FDA’s new focus on quality culture, and new technologies that have had significant impact on their businesses.

Biologics contract manufacturers must do much more than offer their partners additional capacity, reports Janice Graff, Director of Finished Product Sales & Business Development, Americas, GlaxoSmithKline and KaShauna Rohlehr, Program Manager, GlaxoSmithKline Biopharmaceuticals.

Philippe Dartiguelongue, Industry Quality Director at Servier, discusses how taking a holistic approach that brings people, processes and policies together creates an efficient, agile QA/QC culture.

Formulation development capabilities are no longer sufficient for CDMOs, according to Ed Scholtz, Ph.D., Vice President of R&D for UPM Pharmaceuticals; achieving product commercialization is also a must.

Stephen Munk, CEO of Ash Stevens, discusses the need for CDMOs with specialized, small-volume manufacturing capabilities as the industry moves towards a more personalized and precise approach to treating disease.

With many new drug products requiring fermentation and specialized chemical technologies, BioVectra’s Vice President of Business Development, Heather Delage, says that carefully selecting manufacturing partners is increasingly important.

Patient-centric parenteral drug development strategies are the focus of an article by Marga Viñes, Business Development Manager and Oriol Prat, Director of Contract Manufacturing with Grifols.

Guy Villax, Chair of pharmaceutical industry consortium RX-360 and CEO of Hovione, describes the work conducted by the organization and its value. 

Magdalena Mejillano, Executive VP and General Manager of CMC Solutions and Lijun Duan, Associate Director of Analytical Development at BioDuro, discuss the changing analytical services market and the new standalone services offered to support its  (bio)pharma partners.

In an In Conversation piece with Nigel Walker, Founder of That’s Nice LLC and Nice Insight, Capsugel President and CEO Guido Driesen discusses key trends driving drug development, and recent acquisition activity at the company.

Cynthia A. Challener, Ph.D. speaks with Icagen CEO Richie Cunningham, Douglas Krafte, Chief Scientific Officer, and Anil Nair, Director of In Silico Drug Discovery, on how in silico approaches are impacting pharma.

Syed T. Husain, Chief Commercial Officer of Alcami, stresses the importance of supply chain management and security as pharmaceutical supply chains become increasingly complex.

Carlton Winters, Director of Drug Product Development and Eunice Costa, the Group Leader of Inhalation and BioPharmaceuticals for Hovione Portugal, elucidate dry-powder inhalation formulation manufacturing. 

Nigel Walker, Founder of That’s Nice LLC and Nice Insight, looks at recent pharma innovations.

Nice Insight researchers Govindra Singh and Kshitij (TJ) Ladage describe their ongoing efforts across the pharma supply chain as our yearly surveys are initiated.

Nigel Walker, Founder of That’s Nice LLC and Nice Insight, introduces Nice Symposium, a unique industry think tank and interactive approach designed to enable supply chain partners and their customers to explore real solutions to pharmaceutical industry needs.

About The Authors

Cynthia A. Challener, Ph.D.
Scientific Content Director

Steve Kuehn
Executive Content Director

Andrew Warmington, Ph.D
Executive Content Director