How Pharmaceutical Companies Benefit from Outsourcing

Many industries have realized the benefits of outsourcing: lower operational costs, continuity and risk management, and the ability to tap into specialized skillsets. The pharmaceutical industry is no different.

Pharmaceutical companies are under pressure to deliver high-quality solutions with expediency and at a low cost to our strained healthcare system. As globalization increases and technology evolves, the need for outsourcing in order to keep up with demands is greater than ever before. For example, many pharmaceutical companies are realizing the pitfalls that come with in-house testing. By outsourcing to companies like Sure Bio-Chem Laboratories (SBL) for microbiological testing, they can count on experts with a full understanding of industry standards to provide them with accurate, unbiased results.

Here are four ways outsourcing is helping pharmaceutical companies meet the needs of their customers as well as their bottom line.

Produce and Manufacture on a Larger Scale

Large scale production and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine is a top priority in the United States. In anticipation of the successful completion of its lead COVID-19 vaccine, Johnson and Johnson has partnered with Emergent Biosolutions, a company with decades of experience in vaccine and hyperimmune development and manufacturing (1). During the five-year agreement, Emergent Biosolutions will provide large-scale drug substance manufacturing and support additional drug substance batches annually. Only through outsourcing could a pharmaceutical company hope to meet the large-scale needs of an entire nation.

Reduce Supply Shortages

Patients suffer from sub-optimal care when hospitals experience supply shortages. Companies like Civica, a nonprofit organization that provides generic medicines to its hospital members, outsource in order to better predict supply needs and sustainably deliver to its patients. Civica recently partnered with Sandoz, a global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, in order to ensure that its patients could have reliable access to six different critical, injectable medicines (2).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that pharmaceutical companies consider contracting services in order to ensure a reliable supply of medically important drugs (3).

Comply with Government Regulations

Industry standards change as new technologies develop. Pharmaceutical companies may find it challenging to solely rely on in-house staff to keep up with changing regulations, especially if the changes are outside the employee’s area of expertise. By outsourcing to a verified company with trained professionals and certified equipment, pharmaceutical companies reduce their risk of oversight and the resulting consequences.

Outsourcing to a company familiar with mandated protocols and procedures can also expedite time to market and get products in the hands of consumers efficiently and safely.

Divert Resources to Other Areas

Outsourcing enables pharmaceutical companies to cut costs and divert those resources to other areas. Money and labor are freed up for other projects, such as marketing, that will benefit the company and position it as a market leader.

Sure Bio-Chem Laboratories is your outsourcing solution for a wide variety of testing services. Our expertise and increased capacity capabilities can help close the skills gap within your company, support short and long-term manufacturing needs, and help to protect and enhance the lives of your consumers.

Resources:

https://investors.emergentbiosolutions.com/news-releases/news-release-details/emergent-biosolutions-signs-five-year-agreement-large-scale-drug
https://www.sandoz.com/news/media-releases/sandoz-collaborates-civica-rx-help-reduce-critical-generic-medicine-shortages-us
https://www.fda.gov/media/131130/download