A new era of pharmaceutical production

Author: Indu Bhushan

Over the last few years, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has witnessed remarkable growth. Thanks to factors such as competitive production costs, technological advancements, a highly skilled and readily available workforce, investment in research and development and strong government support in the form of numerous initiatives and infrastructure development, the nation has successfully positioned itself as one of the major centers for pharmaceutical production .

The world saw the enormous potential of this sector especially during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when it not only managed the supply and demand for highly effective vaccines and top-quality medicines for its own country, but was also able to seamlessly export them to the rest of the world. world.

According to the report, the Indian pharmaceutical manufacturing market size was estimated at USD 17.79 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2024 to 2030. These numbers indicate how much growth we can expect from this sector in the coming years.

But what are the factors driving innovation in this sector and what technologies have started the wave of change, leading pharmaceutical manufacturing towards a better, brighter and technology-enabled future?

Let’s dive deeper into some of these aspects to understand emerging trends in the manufacturing landscape.

Factors driving innovation in this sector

While innovation has become a driving force in every other industry, it especially has an irreplaceable role to play in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Here are some of the factors responsible for igniting the hunger for innovation in this sector:

• Research and Development Trends – Numerous trends such as investments in pharmacogenomics to deliver personalized medicines, the adoption of green chemistry and sustainable manufacturing, and collaborations between world-renowned biotechnology companies, private research institutes and government universities are reshaping pharmaceutical research and development in India. Additionally, supportive government policies and funding for research and development of new medicines are encouraging the sector to unleash its full potential and position itself strongly in an extremely competitive global market.

• Changing demographics and patient needs – Another key factor is the rapid increase in the number of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address the specific needs of these patients and their complex diseases. Appropriate attention is given to affected people by adopting a patient-centric approach to product design and delivery. Manufacturers are eager to develop innovative, user-friendly drug delivery systems to make drug survival easier for people struggling with long-term health problems.

The economic slowdown and geopolitical tensions are also playing a significant role in forcing manufacturers to introduce innovative products that are characterized by high performance and low cost. As manufacturers experience tight budgets and low customer spending due to the global economic slowdown, they must streamline processes and generate products from locally sourced raw materials to reduce overall costs and dependence on imports. Similarly, geopolitical issues require domestic mass production of medicines and diversification of exports to meet demand in the supply chain. The environment geared towards innovation in pharmaceutical manufacturing is also driven by expectations of potential future changes in regulatory policy. For example, government-enforced policies on the adoption of new and cost-effective technologies, collaborative research and development, and the development of drugs targeting unmet medical needs could trigger a wave of innovation in the sector. The whole world is becoming ecological, and pharmaceutical production is no exception. The adverse effects of increasing industrialization are forcing innovation in the sector to help companies successfully adopt sustainable sourcing practices and environmentally friendly production techniques, reduce energy consumption and manage waste production.

Emerging technologies and innovations redefining pharmaceutical production

While the industry has started to implement several new revolutionary technologies in its daily production processes, here are some of them that are currently contributing significantly to lowering production costs, increasing quality and quantity, increasing self-reliance and shifting the focus to: production demand.

• 3D printing – One of the technologies responsible for a paradigm shift in the pharmaceutical industry is 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, freeform technology or rapid prototyping. Although this technology has revolutionized many sectors, its positive impact can mainly be seen in the pharmaceutical industry, where the aim is to offer personalized and tailored doses.

The main reason for integrating this technology in the pharmaceutical industry is to shift the sector’s focus from conventional batch production to small-volume, on-demand production. This helps further reduce the potential for side effects and toxicity and even leads to better waste management.

• Digital transformation and its contribution

In today’s data-driven markets, digital transformation enables manufacturers to make informed and calculative decisions based on insights drawn from collected raw data. Additionally, real-time monitoring systems, another advantage of digitalization, combined with predictive analytics make it easier to detect errors in the production process and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Additionally, IoT devices and the cloud have simplified the monitoring process as professionals can now control the entire process while enjoying the flexibility of working from a remote location.

• Industrial Revolution 4.0

Industry 4.0 undoubtedly relies heavily on automation technologies to eliminate human error, manage repetitive tasks, and promote consistent product quality. Additionally, the integration of digital twin technology, which the industry is thriving on, enables manufacturers to create virtual replicas of real physical processes, identify problems earlier and initiate changes in real time, further reducing overall costs. Another innovation that has proven to positively transform the production process is continuous production. While for decades manufacturers have used batch production to produce medicines in small batches or specific quantities, we are now seeing them move towards continuous or uninterrupted production. In this production method, raw materials are processed continuously, reducing the need to repeatedly stop the process. Some notable advantages of this method include increased efficiency, improved product quality due to continuous automatic monitoring, and compact equipment size. The pharmaceutical production sector is undergoing a huge transformation under the influence of the latest technologies and innovations. Factors such as research and development trends, evolving patient needs, regulatory policies, sustainable practices, and economic and geopolitical disruptions continue to drive improvements and encourage manufacturers to adopt advanced technologies. While there is still a long way to go, many companies have already started to implement technologies such as 3D printing, continuous manufacturing, digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence to help the sector re-emerge.

Therefore, given the ever-changing needs of the market, its consumers and the environment, it is extremely important for industry leaders and stakeholders to leverage new technologies to achieve holistic growth.

The article was written by Indu Bhushan, CEO and Director of STEERLife

(Disclaimer: The views expressed are solely those of the author and ETHealthworld.com does not necessarily subscribe to them. ETHealthworld.com shall not be liable for any damages caused to any person/organization directly or indirectly)