The Role Of The Contract Manufacturer In Medical Device Development

By Maria Barajas

The emergence of biologic drugs and patient-friendly delivery methods, such as pre-filled syringes and auto-injectors, are necessitating early, close collaboration between drug delivery system manufacturers and their pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical partners.

These new therapies require innovative packaging materials to avoid adverse chemical interactions and accommodate higher volumes. Additionally, temperature-sensitive drugs require storage solutions that not only meet the needs of the drug product, but also ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines in a properly monitored and sustained environment. Any deviation from the ideal environment can affect patient safety and jeopardize the drug’s quality, resulting in loss of potency, efficacy or even the need to discard the product entirely.

To that end, more than ever, device contract manufacturers must deliver continuous innovation and flexibility to accommodate the delivery of a wide range of drugs throughout each therapy’s lifecycle. Such partners—either through the development of proprietary technology or adapting existing platforms and offerings—should deliver innovative products and institute processes that offer pharmaceutical companies the opportunity to deliver a safe, effective and easy-to-administer therapy to market.