European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer editor Reece Armstrong sits down with Andrew Bulpin - head of process solutions at the life science business of Merck - to discuss the industry and the company’s new platform for ‘contiGuous’ manufacturing in bioprocessing.
Runners
What’s the current state of the bioprocessing industry?
The industry is at a very interesting turning point. The number of different modalities and therapies on the market, as well as globalisation, has picked up the pace over the past several years. Chronic diseases are prevalent and the onus is on the industry to help develop treatments that are more effective, safer and to do so more quickly.
Next-generation processing is gaining traction in the industry because of the significant impact it will have on bringing therapies to patients. The manufacturing template for monoclonal antibodies needs updating, as the same templated manufacturing process has been used for 30 years and the manufacturing equipment is also ready for updating. This manufacturing evolution will intensify the manufacturing template down to a continuous process involving just a few steps. This intensification brings benefits of smaller footprints for equipment and the manufacturing facilities, requiring less capital. There are additional efficiencies gained in the flexibility of producing drugs in smaller batches versus big, stainless steel vats.