Important Issues in the Pharmaceutical Industry - Pursuit of Efficiency - Transition to Continuous Processes April 2020
Watson-Marlow（ワトソンマーロー） 東京本社、大阪支社
The pharmaceutical industry is facing significant challenges. Between 1960 and 2000, the world population more than doubled. Advances in medicine, new drug development, and diagnostic technologies have dramatically increased the average lifespan in developed countries. As people live longer, the number of patients with chronic and complex health conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and type 2 diabetes, has also risen. The rising costs of treating these increasing numbers of patients are putting pressure on healthcare systems, and the medical community expects pharmaceutical companies to supply medical products at lower prices. In response, pharmaceutical manufacturers are exploring new processes and manufacturing techniques that can help reduce the costs of pharmaceutical products. Since the 1970s, the industry has been seeking concepts for production enhancement. Through new technologies and process methodologies, production enhancement aims to shorten timelines, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. Among the increasingly adopted methods is perfusion cell culture, also known as upstream continuous culture. The latest white paper titled "Pursuit of Efficiency - Transition to Continuous Processes," published by the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) and Watson-Marlow, discusses the benefits of continuous processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
