The biopharmaceutical industry has seen tremendous growth over the past few decades driven by innovation in biologics. As biologic drug development becomes more complex, outsourcing certain activities is becoming increasingly common for pharmaceutical companies. In this article, we discuss the key perspectives and opportunities associated with biologics outsourcing.
Rise of Biologics
Biologics, also known as biologic drugs, refer to medicines made from living organisms using biotechnology. They include vaccines, blood components, allergenics, somatic cells, gene therapies, tissues, and recombinant therapeutic proteins. Unlike traditional small molecule drugs, biologics are much larger and more complex molecules derived from living cells. They have revolutionized the treatment of various chronic and severe diseases such as cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and more. With their specificity and effectiveness, biologics currently represent the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry. It is projected that spending on biologics will exceed $400 billion by 2024 globally.
Need for Outsourcing
Due to the complex nature and high development costs associated with Biologics Outsourcing, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly relying on contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) for various activities. Some of the key factors driving increased outsourcing in the biologics space include:
- High Capital Requirements: Setting up facilities for biologics manufacturing requires large capital investments upwards of $100-500 million which not all companies can afford. Outsourcing to CDMOs removes this burden.
- Risk Mitigation: Biologics development is a risky endeavor with high failure rates. Outsourcing non-core activities allows companies to focus internal resources on drug discovery while mitigating developmental risks.
- Access to Expertise: CDMOs have specialized expertise, technologies and facilities to handle diverse outsourced jobs like cell line development, process development, analytical testing, and fill/finish operations at scale.
- Flexibility: Outsourcing provides flexibility to companies in manufacturing without long-term capacity commitments. It allows reallocating resources to new projects as pipeline priorities change.
- Speed to Market: By outsourcing non-core functions, companies can expedite drug development timelines and commercialization to gain competitive advantage in the market.
- Cost Savings: Choosincg the right CDMO partner can offer lower costs compared to in-house operations due to their economies of scale and scope.
Key Functions Outsourced
Given the expertise required at each stage of biologics development and production, pharmaceutical companies commonly outsource different functions:
Cell Line Development
The development and optimization of high-producing mammalian cell lines is a specialized area. Companies outsource this work to experts who have dedicated R&D teams, cell banking capabilities and technologies to generate robust cell lines.
Process & Analytical Development
Obtaining the right purification, filtration and characterization processes is crucial for consistent biologics manufacturing. CDMOs help in scaling down process development and facilitating tech transfers.
Clinical Manufacturing
They undertake clinical-scale manufacturing for phase I-III trials supplying necessary quantities under cGMP regulations. This allows sponsors to concentrate on clinical programs.
Commercial Manufacturing
For approved products, CDMOs undertake large-scale commercial production to meet market demand. Their multiproduct facilities help ensure supply security.
Fill/Finish Services
The final stages of formulation filling, inspection, labelling and packaging are commonly outsourced for flexibility and compliance with different market requirements.
Analytical Testing
CDMOs conduct extensive quality control tests at each step for purity, identity, potency and stability. This adds reliability to biologics production.
For more details on the report, Read- https://www.trendingwebwire.com/biologics-outsourcing-growth-market-size-share-analysis/
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