Looking back at pharma in 2022

To round off 2022, Rebekah Jordan reflects on EPM's published stories this past year, from post-pandemic advancements to sustainability awards, along with pharma's drive towards digital transformation.

Post-pandemic advances

Two years after the pandemic and the pharma industry is not short in its advancements. August 2022 saw the update of Moderna's original Covid-19 vaccine to a bivalent booster; targeting both the Omicron variant and the original 2020 virus. After receiving MHRA approval, the dual variant boosters were rolled out in the UK as Autumn booster vaccines.

On the preventative measure side, the University of Birmingham launched an innovative new drug product in the form of nasal spray. In December 2022, research showed NoroZite blocks the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells in culture for up to 48 hours by creating a physical barrier preventing infection.

Clinical trial specialists at Cytel Inc won the Trial of the Year Awards for 2021 for its TOGETHER Trial for COVID-19 therapies. By using a design called a 'multi-arm adaptive platform trial', Cytel’s statisticians were able to shorten the clinical trial period for Covid-19 patients, without compromising on scientific integrity. Overall, this trial reduced the amount of Covid-19 related hospitalisations.

Researchers at Murdoch University, Australia, put their efforts into identifying the biomarkers associated with Long Covid. They detected and quantified biomarkers of SARS-CoV-2 acute infections and of Long COVID, with the aim to significantly improve current clinical and therapeutic understanding of them both. Furthermore, Brittany Niccum at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences shared insights on how using genomics and automation technology could predict and monitor future Covid variants through a process of genomic surveillance.

From a legal perspective, Withers & Rogers shared the lessons learned from the pandemic, calling for a 'better preparedness' and better collaboration within the pharma industry, to ensure best practice for a potential future pandemic. Whilst CRB Group emphasised the changes that need to happen across drug development - from outdated balances to agile delivery strategies.

Regulatory updates

On the regulatory side of things, Pistoia Alliance formed a new In Vitro Pharmacology Working Group with a mission to improve regulatory submissions and overcome the common challenge of inconsistent data standards and structures. In turn, this would enable a faster reviewing process of therapies so they can get to the people than need them.

Our September/October issue of EPM hosted CEO of Broughton, Chris Allen, who provided the impact and current challenges of Brexit on the pharma industry - and the uncertainty that remains. In another insights piece, IQVIA emphasises the importance of life science organisations to utilise an eQMS that is a true SaaS platform, maintaining quality and compliance across the board.

Packaging

Amcor won the Recyclable Packaging award for its HealthCare AmSky Blister System - constructed with a PE thermoformed blister and lidding film, removing the use of PVC from the packaging. Meanwhile, Bormioli Pharma launched its EcoPositive range for pharma packaging at Pharmapack Europe earlier this year, including the manufacture of bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastic solutions, reflecting a 37.2% decrease in environmental impact.

Additionally, Origin looked into the barriers of adopting sustainable packaging alternatives in pharma and the benefits of adopting a Quality by Design (QbD) approach. Awarded an EcoVardis gold sustainability rating, Technoprint shared its Pharmalite lightweight paper innovation - an alternative paper option for patient information leaflets (PILs).

Niall Balfour, CEO of Tower Cold Chain, discussed the company's 'robust, reliable, reusable' ethos for manufacturing packaging solutions for cold chain transportation - from mass shipping to small batches of personalised medicines.

Trade show attendance

In the world of trade shows, we seem to be returning to normal. The reputable CPHI Frankfurt event 2022 saw pre-pandemic attendance figures at a 75% increase from 2021 - a total of 40,405 executives from 167 countries.

Although pushed back to May from its original February date, Pharmapack Paris saw over 300 exhibitors and around 5,000 visitors, as a part of the big pharma industry. After a two-year absence due to Covid-19, Pharmapack announced its Premium Partner Aptar Pharma and its showcase in end-to-end solutions in drug delivery.

Digital solutions are here to stay

Kelly Doering of AspenTech explained how despite the long-term savings offered by cloud platforms, pharma companies are still hesitant to make the move to digital solutions, and 54% of manufacturers say industry regulations are undermining their digital transformation ambitions. This finding was highlighted in an AspenTech study here.

On a progressive note, the Access to Medicine Index 2022 saw all 20 of its in-scope pharma companies stepping up to address the problem of global medicine accessibility - with the aid of digital tools. Alongside, digitalisation in pharma manufacturing is considered to be key to overcoming drug shortages and can build a more resilient supply chain.

Another app, you say? Aptar Digital Health launched its Disease Management Platform to track patient-treatment adherence in chronic conditions, with real-time remote data. Whereas, MGC Pharma collaborated with Caba Tech to launch ZAM - an app designed to monitor drug use and its effects, as well as allowing patients to contact a doctor wherever and get a prescription.

Digitalisation also seeped into the world of drug delivery in 2022. BD and Biocorp integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) into injectable drugs by means of capturing data and increasing medication adherence. Not forgetting to mention, the benefits of biopharma investing in digital data management could result in a seamless data flow from healthcare professionals to patients - showcased in this Q&A with Veeva Systems.

Sustainability remains high

The Connect in Pharma awards for sustainable packaging saw finalists among the likes of: Korber Pharma Packaging, Zuellig Pharma, Essentra Packaging and Automedi.

With fewer API manufacturers in Europe, Centrient Pharmaceuticals shared insight on the European pharma supply chain and the danger its in of becoming unstable. Sustainable manufacturing continues to be the only way to preserve the environment and keep current treatments effective. Insights from Cytiva reflected the importance of developing technologies that can advance therapeutics sustainably will help preserve the planet while providing patients with the medicines they need.

Meanwhile, three of WuXi STA's manufacturing sites received top EcoVadis scores for business sustainability, providing the benchmark for other rated companies to drive global supply chain sustainability.

Furthermore, Heiko Schmidt at Accenture AG, shared his thoughts on the increasing importance of tracking sustainability metrics for pharma investors, as doing so could prevent costly catch up in the future.

Pharmacogenetics and precision medicine

It's all in your DNA. This is certainly a sector that will be continuously seeing growth as its "myriad of benefits is still to be realised," genedrive explored the potential of customised treatments in stroke patient management and the routine use of pharmacogenetics in acute settings.

A very insightful conversation with STALICLA delved into the world of precision medicines. With its newly launched ML machine, molecular data can be converged with human genetic information and clinical signs to identify biologically related subgroups. STALICLA can then target the patient groups most likely to benefit for certain drugs - de-risking clinical developments and brining therapeutic options to those currently underserved.

Other news

One of EPM's top recent stories was on the plans to build Europe's largest and most technologically advanced Life Sciences building in Canary Wharf, London. You can see visual representations of the 23-storey vertical campus here.

The UK saw a rise in monkeypox cases in around May. After approval from the MHRA, the team at Oxford University began the PLATINUM clinical trial study to investigate the efficacy and safety of tecovirimat (an antiviral treatment originally developed for smallpox) in non-hospitalised monkeypox patients.

The world's first surgical access to the human cochlea was demonstrated to assist long term treatment for hearing loss. Thanks to a study funded by Rinri Therapeutics, surgical access to the central core of the cochlea was secured, research that is critical to the first-in-human trials for new cell and gene therapies. 

2022 was also a year of anniversaries for some pharma companies. Celebrating a decade of success were TrakCell for cell orchestration solutions, Lab Innovations at NEC Birmingham, and in the Asia and Pacific region, Envirotainer, having shipped 40,000 pallets of pharmaceuticals to more than 30 countries globally.

On a final note, following the success of Pistoia Alliance's Women in STEM Leadership Program, the company has since expanded its program to other under represented communities as we head into 2023. Investing in diversity and attracting female talent within life sciences is a sign things need to be significantly improved on not just a funding level, but also from a business level.