Contents In this issue 8 News & numbers 20


The vital headlines and statistics defining the industry.


Drug delivery


10 Extending the effect Chronic diseases often come with a burden of administering medication routinely throughout the week, or in many cases, the day. Proponents of long-acting injectables wish to change this to make life easier for patients and increase medication adherence. Kim Thomas speaks to Farshad Ramazani, a principal researcher at Novartis, and Professor Andrew Owen, co-director of the Centre of Excellence for Long- acting Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool, to learn about long-acting injectables and the challenges researchers face in trying to bring them to the clinic.


14 The three pillars of medical device manufacturing Owen Mumford


17 Advancing cartridge-based subcutaneous drug delivery SHL Medical


20 Crossing the barrier The blood–brain barrier protects against invasion by blood-borne pathogens in an effort to safeguard


World Pharmaceutical Frontiers / www.worldpharmaceuticals.net 5


transporting cargo, but when the transported product is highly reactive to temperature, that risk can increase dramatically. Pharmaceutical companies are aware of this, of course, and take numerous measures to ensure the safe passage of drugs – thankfully they’re not alone in this endeavour. Sonia Ben Hamida, head of special cargo at the International Air Transport Association, explains how its standards and certifications can provide a framework for the transport of pharmaceuticals, and in doing so drive better safety and efficacy outcomes for end users.


28 Eyes on the prize


the microenvironment that sustains complex neural function. But what happens when a neurological disease alters that function? Sarah Harris speaks to Vera Neves, senior staff researcher at the University of Lisbon, and Stacy Blain, chief science officer of Concarlo Therapeutics and professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, about the role of ‘peptide shuttles’ in overcoming this barrier and what research in this area could potentially lead to.


Supply chain & logistics


24 Reducing risk, improving quality There’s always risk involved when


28


31 Whatever you see in the world is from Istanbul Turkish Cargo


The idea of an intelligent supply chain with end-to-end visibility has been talked about for years. But how much of this potential has been realised in the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry, a notoriously slow mover when it comes to adopting new technologies? Peter Littlejohns asks Karen Taylor, research director of the Centre for Health Solutions, Deloitte; and Emily May, life sciences insight lead, Centre for Health Solutions, Deloitte, just how intelligent pharma supply chains are currently, and what’s stopping the industry from going for full adoption.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49