COMBINATION PRODUCTS
Modular: The Modern Way of Manufacturing Injectables MELISSA GRIFFEN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TOP THREE TAKEAWAYS 1. Treatments are moving from hospital to home, requiring user-friendly injectable devices. Oncologics are one sector driving growth.
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2. Modular manufacturing allows for a range of products in a single facility with faster changeovers and improved OEE.
odular manufacturing is on the rise in the pharmaceutical industry. The last few years have shown an increase of interest in modular solutions for a variety of uses and Stevanato Group—a provider of integrated systems for pharma and healthcare—projects that this tendency will only continue, especially in injectables. This popularity is due to the flexibility offered by modular manufacturing, allowing pharmaceutical processors to produce a range of products in a single facility with faster changeovers and improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). Modular manufacturing breaks down a system into discrete component “modules” that perform specific roles and can be integrated into or removed from the overall structure at will. The following factors are driving this movement in the injectables market: • Many treatments are moving from hospital to home, reducing costs for healthcare providers and increasing patient comfort. This requires the need for user-friendly injectable devices, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic. • The demand for auto-injectors and pen injectors is skyrocketing as lifestyle-related diseases, such as diabetes, become more widespread in both developed and developing countries and as the niche of targeted small batch and personalized medicines, including oncological formulations and certain biologics, grows. This is driving the need for more mobile, less intrusive, and simpler solutions that remain cost-effective, which in turn demands flexibility on the manufacturing side. These self-administered options allow patients to treat themselves more independently and autonomously than ever in a safe manner. As Editor Aaron Hand says in Burgeoning Auto-Injector
3. Modularity may allow companies to fulfill multi-product campaigns requiring different production schedules.
Market Demands Flexible Production Options, “Auto-injectors help avoid common risks associated with self-administration via syringes, such as incorrect dosages and misuse, serious injuries, and discontinuation of treatment.” The benefits for healthcare providers and patients are clear. As injectables continue to become more customized and self-administered, manufacturers will need to modify the design, engineering,
18 | Healthcare Packaging • May/June 2021
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