If you are in the pharmaceutical industry, you very likely know the U.S. has an ongoing drug shortage problem that continues to frustrate many doctors, patients, and pharmaceutical companies across the country every day.
While the FDA has been making improvements in stopping drug shortages, in the last five years we still saw a 74% increase in shortages. According to a 2011 study, supply/demand problems were accountable for 13% of drug shortages, while 23% were attributed to manufacturing issues. For instance, 18 million vials of Ketorolac, a drug commonly used in hospitals after surgery, were recalled in January earlier this year due to contamination problems. Few years back, a mold infestation at a Sanofi’s manufacturing facility stopped its production of cancer drug BCG for two years, and the FDA had to request Merck to produce 850,000 doses this year as an attempt to stop shortages.
The shrinking number of pharmaceutical companies does not help with drug shortages either, since this means there are less alternative drugs on the market. Many experts however believe the main culprit for drug shortages is manufacturing delays caused by contamination and recall problems, due to aging manufacturing facilities and inadequate equipment maintenance.
With over thirty years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, we at Chemtech International understand the high importance of production hygiene and sanitation in minimizing contamination problems during your manufacturing process. Since 1992, we have been an Authorized Distributor of Molded Fiber Glass Co., U.S.A. to market its FRP composite trays. Thanks to its unique composite design, our high quality pharmaceutical drying trays are highly effective in reducing the accumulation of moisture and residue, which can help minimize problems throughout your manufacturing cycle.
For more information, check out our website or contact me at neel@chemtech-usa.com