When we founded BPI 20 years ago, already there were murmurs about the “death of print” in the publishing industry. And it’s true that in the ensuing decades, many publications (especially newspapers) have gone fully digital to save money and stay in business. But in every survey we’ve run over the years, the majority of our readers always have preferred the print version of BPI. Our digital edition has increased in popularity steadily — probably as older generations slowly give…
In January 2022, after months of proceedings and years of speculation, a jury found Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud and multiple charges of wire fraud (1). The trial of her former business partner Ramesh (also known as Sunny) Balwani began in March 2022. Theranos, a private medical device company in the healthcare sector, aimed to change the face of blood testing through benchtop in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) that were rapid, highly sensitive and specific, and…
In response to increasing demands for expedited availability of biotherapeutics around the world — and with the ultimate goal of patient benefit — health authorities have developed accelerated regulatory pathways to reduce development timelines to product licensure. Because of the complexity and unique nature of each program and product modality, some solutions must be worked out case by case between sponsors and regulatory agencies. On 13 October 2020, CASSS–Sharing Science Solutions presented a virtual session overviewing currently available regulatory pathways…
Although biomanufacturing processes are designed to generate highly pure drug substances, some host-cell proteins (HCPs) copurify with target proteins and thus remain in finished drug products. Biopharmaceutical developers are keenly aware that such impurities must be minimized to protect patients. HCPs can activate several kinds of immune responses in treated patients, including production of antidrug antibodies and induction of cross-reactivity with therapeutic proteins (1–5). HCPs also can diminish drug efficacy, potency, and/or stability (6, 7). Thus, regulatory guidances such as…
Some people have found significant disillusionment regarding artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) limitations in application. For example, mass-media productions (e.g., Ex Machina) encourage the goal of achieving general AI or super AI, which supplies comprehensive, self-instituted results. In truth, narrow AI — which addresses only one task and provides specific results — is growing rapidly, both in power and number of applications (1). Although many different modeling methods remain dominant, AI is providing significant and increasing value in drug discovery, process development,…
The application of plant-based systems to produce biopharmaceuticals for human and veterinary indications is a rapidly expanding field. Available systems range from stable transgenic root-cell culture to transient expression in whole plants. Products that have been expressed include monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (1), subunit vaccines (2), virus-like particles (VLPs) (3), specialty enzymes (4), and structural proteins such as collagen (5). “Traditional” bioproduction platforms such as Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, Escherichia coli, and Pichia pastoris have long histories of patient safety…
Plastics have been used for decades in container–closure systems (CCS) for drugs and in single-use (SU) manufacturing equipment for biopharmaceutical processing. Biomanufacturers must comply with national and international laws and regulations that require proof that use of such polymeric materials is safe (1, 2). That necessitates testing for potential biological responses and interactions with drug substances. Comprehensive extractables and leachables (E&L) studies also are required for potential release of undesired compounds from polymers. Extractables tests are performed on materials under…
This webcast features: Eric Isberg, Vice President, Life Sciences, Savillex. Ingress of carbon dioxide into bulk drug substance (BDS) containers that are stored and shipped on dry ice is a serious and often understated problem. This webinar outlines two studies performed by a major biopharmaceutical company to determine the closure style and torque specification of Purillex® PFA bottles required to ensure no carbon dioxide ingress during storage and shipping of BDS products on dry ice. Key takeaways: Understand the correlation…
As the demand for resins rises in the bioproduction space, BioProcess Insider spoke to Hans Johansson, global applications director at Purolite to find out the challenges they face and what they are doing to overcome them. BioProcess Insider (BI): Let’s get right back to basics. What are bioprocess resins and how are they made? Hans Johansson (HJ): Depending on the molecule requiring purification, chromatography resins are typically leveraged to optimize purity and yield. Chromatography in bioprocessing aims to accomplish three…
Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced it will build a $595 million facility during the dedication of its Center for Cell and Genetic Therapies building in Boston this week. Vertex became a serious player in the advanced therapy space in 2019 through a series of deals, including the $245 million acquisition of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1 gene therapy developer Exonics, and the $950 million acquisition of type 1 diabetes stem cell developer Semma Therapeutics. The same year, the firm…