TECH OUTLOOK 8MARCH - 2022IN MY OPINIONHow can Manufacturing Companies Keep Pace with the Shifting Trends of Oncology Drug DevelopmentBy Stewart Campbell, VP & General Manager, West Pharmaceutical & Li Chen, VP & General Manager, West PharmaceuticalTrends in Oncology Drug DevelopmentCancer is a largely intractable disease with high unmet medical needs. In Asia Pacific, it is the second leading cause of death with about 5.5million deaths in 2018 alone. Nonetheless, the healthcare industry has made significant breakthroughs in cancer treatments over the years, leading to an increase in the development of novel therapeutic modalities. Within the same period, we noticed three trends of interest: (1) the increase in patient self-administration, (2) the increasing number of biological therapies, including RNA therapeutics and gene therapies, and (3) increasing complexity of drug formulations which inevitably caused an increased concern around drug potency and safety.Traction for self-administration of medication is growing due to its speed, convenience and less invasive mode of cancer care delivery. In a survey of 488 patients, suggests that 89 percent of patients prefer subcutaneous injections over intravenous therapy and 82 percent of those who experienced both showed a higher level of satisfaction with subcutaneous injections. There are more molecules than ever in the biologics pipeline, and the greatest focus of all therapy areas is oncology. Both have led to subcutaneous oncology treatments growing faster than IV/infused administration. This increasingly popular treatment offers lower drug delivery costs, patient convenience, drug safety and better treatment outcomes. The trend is reinforced by the US$22 billion industry's 11 percent annual growth rate.Modern biopharmaceutical drug molecules are often complex protein structures or fragile RNAs that need to maintain the molecular structure in order to convey full potency. So, the drug exhibit challenges for the selection of appropriate containment and delivery systems, particularly due to their viscosity and molecular sensitivity. This is where we see great potential for premium packaging components or ready-to-use containers. Unbeknownst to most, there is a US$99.9 billion packaging industry that supports patients in getting treatment administered whether in the comfort of their own homes or at clinic. The rise in demand for self-administered therapies, expanding biological therapy pipeline and increase in drug formulation complexity are driving innovation in both containment and delivery of injectables. Manufacturers such as West Pharmaceutical Services (West) play a critical role in the supply chain that ensures patients get access to treatments. This motivates us to constantly innovate, adapting to a shifting landscape, facilitating the best possible drug delivery options and help to improve patient health worldwide.Meeting New NeedsWest utilizes a unified innovation process to efficiently bring the latest technologies in drug delivery from concept to market while keeping a clear focus on the needs of the patients and customers, and an eye on the developing regulatory demands within Asia. This process entails experimentation and rapid prototyping to accelerate our developments. Some of our latest Stewart Campbell
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