At West, innovation is rooted in the company’s 95-year history of providing drug containment and delivery solutions to the world’s top pharma and biotechnology companies. West continuously invest in R&D capabilities and comprehensive global research and development network, including the West Innovation Center in Washington, N.J. and several global R&D Centers of Excellence for innovation.
In the injectable drug delivery industry, increasing expectations for improved patient experiences with administration and at-home delivery of therapeutic regimens require packaging innovation. Products that combine the drug, its primary packaging and delivery system – commonly called combination products – are on the rise. Innovations such as the inclusion and expansion of digital elements in a delivery system can help deliver medical, sensor and diagnostic information in real-time data streams. Such data can help caregivers provide better overall care, while other digital elements may encourage adherence to therapeutic regimens. Given these trends, West has adopted innovation techniques, such as additive manufacturing (AM), to aid in expansive idea generation and development agility, which can lead to improved quality and new opportunities to disrupt the drug delivery space.
Also known as 3D printing, AM is the process by which material is joined or solidified layer-by-layer under computer control into a three-dimensional object. Most commonly known for its use in prototyping, it also has manufacturing applications. Beyond the functional and tactical benefits, AM can have positive cultural impact by expanding how people approach problems from design through manufacturing. Wide access to and awareness of AM has the potential to tap into latent creativity within an organisation by enabling the design-thinking mindsets of ‘bias toward action’ and ‘embracing experimentation’ that are critical to an innovation culture. Wide access and increasing awareness of 3DP/AM technologies beyond pockets of “expertise” can grow innovation culture by expanding many people’s understanding of what is possible. They can pursue ideas quickly and cheaply and the lowered risk in time and cost encourages more open ideation and exploration of new possibilities.
Another of West’s recent developments is the Integrated Solutions Programme. This programme brings together our primary packaging, device, analytical, regulatory and contract manufacturing expertise in a single-source package that is designed for any stage of the drug development lifecycle and across all injectable formats.
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