Featured Articles
NON-CANNABIS THERAPY - Cannabinoid Therapy Without Using Cannabis: Direct Effects™ Topical β-Caryophyllene
Ronald Aung-Din, MD, in view of many documented medical benefits of cannabinoids, but with widely persisting regulations, misinformation, and stigma associated with cannabis, searches for a non-cannabis-derived source of cannabinoid therapy, such as found in β-Caryophyllene.
ASSAY VALIDATION - Biomarker Assay Validations – A Time for Change?
John L. Allinson, FIBMS, believes despite the increased use of biomarkers, it appears that many researchers are still continuing to use the FDA guidance document for validation even though it only critically addresses the validation of assays to support PK evaluation, and also has a limited scope described within the document in terms of studies where it should be used.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Oasmia Pharmaceutical: Commercializing Technologies While Pursuing the US Market
Julian Aleksov, Executive Chairman of Oasmia Pharmaceutical, discusses his company’s efforts to enter the US market, its strategy to increase commercial adoption, and why it believes its underlying drug delivery system technology is significant not only within the oncology sector, but the entire pharmaceutical industry.
CLINICAL RESEARCH - Behind the Wave: Clinical Research in a Digital Transformation Era
Kai Langel believes the remote research model and purpose-built technology offer the tools and the right process to help modernize clinical research and bring it closer to the high standard set by today’s consumer technologies.
EXTERNAL DELIVERY - Fake News
John A. Bermingham says with all the fake news today’s media expels at an alarming rate, CEOs should have a plan in place should it one day raise its ugly head in their company.
SPECIAL FEATURE - Formulation Development & Manufacturing - CDMOs Offer Speed, Advanced Technologies, & the Ability to Handle More Potent APIs
Contributor Cindy H. Dubin speaks with some of the industry’s leading CDMOs to highlight their capabilities in the areas of speed, quality, technology, and handling of complex APIs.
ELECTRONIC TONGUE INSTRUMENTATION - Improving the Palatability of User-Friendly Dosage Forms Using an Electronic Tongue
Detlev Haack, PhD, and Martin Koeberle, PhD, believe one exciting alternative starting to gain traction in the industry is assessment via an electronic tongue to detect and analyze all the compounds responsible for taste within a sample.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW - Vetter: Establishing a Successful Clinical Fill & Finish Manufacturing Site for Biologics
Dr. Susanne Resatz, President of Vetter Development Services USA, Inc., discusses the many benefits to small biotech companies in utilizing the services of a full-service CDMO, and what advanced services the Chicago-based facility offers its growing customer base.
ANTIMICROBIAL LIPIDS - Attenuating the Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals: What Role Can cGMP Lipids Play?
Ryan Littich, PhD, highlights some of the most significant, pathogen-borne diseases relevant to food-producing animals and reviews the antimicrobial properties intrinsic to midchain triglyceride lipolysis products.
SAMPLE PREPARATION MARKETS - Automation & Application Trends Drive Growth in Sample Preparation Markets
Christi Bird indicates sample preparation remains a critical task in many research and testing workflows across biopharmaceutical, basic research, clinical, and industrial applications. While the market lacks the hype and excitement of NGS, CRISPR/Cas9, or the microRNA and epigenetics boom several years ago, the sample preparation market will always be a slow and steady gainer on an already large market size.
CONTRACT MANUFACTURING - Flexibility in an Evolving Market
Matthew Moorcroft, PhD, warns that in the fast-moving pharmaceutical industry, change is the only constant. And to keep up with market developments, small molecule manufacturers must first understand the trends.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE - MGB: The Minor Groove Binder
Dawn A. Firmin, MSc, PhD, explains how MGB has dedicated its focus to the development of a new class of small molecules, with specific antibacterial activity against susceptible and resistant bacteria.
CLINICAL TRIALS - It’s Time to Revamp the Unsexy Plumbing of Clinical Trials
Craig Morgan says as clinical trials continue to evolve, drug companies will no longer be able to rely on existing, tried-and-tested manual methods or point solutions for success. And technology integration in the eClinical stack is not sufficient to bring about the step change in productivity that has to happen.
COMBINATION CORNER - Keys to Avoiding Common Pitfalls in the Development of Product Requirements for Drug Combination Products
Jerzy Wojcik says it is more important than ever to bring the right team together early in a project to capture product requirements correctly. The cost of missing needs or requirements goes up exponentially as development proceeds, and many of these requirements can be identified early in the project if the right individuals are at the table.
AAV VECTOR MANUFACTURING - Challenges & Opportunities in the Manufacturing of AAV Vectors Used in the Delivery of Gene Therapy Treatments
Daniel C. Smith, PhD, indicates there remains a clear need for improved process productivities, and the need to develop manufacturing processes that can be applied to a wide number of AAV-based viral vector therapeutic candidates.
BIOMARKERS - FDA’s Design Control Requirements for Biomarkers in Drug Development
Kaiser J. Aziz, PhD, says the availability of validated biomarker-drug companion products will enable the molecular diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries to develop and rely on new genomic biomarkers in order to elucidate disease pathways, stratify patient populations, and monitor safe and effective use of these products.
CELL THERAPY - PLX-R18: Cell Therapy for Treatment of Acute Radiation Syndrome & Bone Marrow Failure Diseases
Racheli Ofir, PhD, and Noa Sher, PhD, report on studies showing that PLX-R18 is a strong candidate for the treatment of H-ARS as well as a plethora of bone marrow failures with similar symptomatology.
SPECIAL FEATURE - Bioavailability & Solubility: New Approaches to Enhance Drug Performance
Contributor Cindy H. Dubin highlights many of the latest techniques to enhance bioavailability and solubility, how to determine the right technique for your compound, and how some companies are realizing faster time to market as a result.
PATIENT-CENTRIC TECHNOLOGY - How Technology Can Impact Patient Adherence: Increasing Patient Engagement & Education to Save the Healthcare Industry Billions
Andrew W. Dunning provides several examples of technologies that specifically cater to pharmaceutical brands that want to leverage a patient-centric marketing strategy to increase their market share and boost patient adherence rates.
THERAPEUTIC FOCUS - GSNOR Inhibition to Stabilize & Improve Mutant CFTR Processing
Steven Shoemaker, MD, reviews how cavosonstat represents a safe and effective option for patients with CF with at least one copy of the F508del-CFTR mutation; and that when used with correctors and potentiators, improves patient outcomes including lung function.
