As we kick off 2025, pharmaceutical manufacturing continues to change dramatically.
Emerging technologies and shifting priorities in research and development are reshaping how drugs are discovered, manufactured, and delivered. While these changes bring exciting opportunities, they also pose complex challenges for pharmaceutical companies.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at these exciting trends and how they’re poised to reshape the industry.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming an integral part of pharmaceutical development, unlocking new possibilities in drug discovery. We recently spoke to Dr. Kevin Hunt of Vanqua Bio to learn more about how AI is reshaping this process, and Dr. Hunt was enthusiastic about its potential impact.
“I think AI will be on the desk of most medicinal chemists—and not just on the desk, but actually in the form of a useful desktop app—in the next 5 years,” he said.
This sentiment is echoed by a recent Infosys survey of pharma and life science professionals, where 90% of respondents agreed that AI is crucial to their company's success. Of those, 40% have already deployed AI solutions, with 76% leveraging big data automation, 64% using machine learning, and 60% applying predictive analytics.
While machine learning has been a fixture in chemistry for years, the difference now lies in accessibility.
"Machine learning's been used in chemistry for decades, but what's different now is that the newer models in AI allow you to do this on your PC. It's a lot more sophisticated, but with a lot less heavy lifting,” Dr. Hunt said.
The democratization of AI enables smaller labs to innovate while also reducing human bias in data interpretation. “If you feed it the right data set, AI does that better than humans, in my opinion,” Dr. Hunt said. This capability is helping pharmaceutical companies improve patient population analysis, pathway identification, and ultimately the discovery of promising drug candidates, particularly for rare diseases.
Despite its potential, however, AI still faces significant challenges in drug discovery.
“Making a drug is all about three-dimensionality. The quality of the data coming in, the numbers, even the biological activity associated with those molecules is often poor or not well reported. So that part, the early part of drug discovery, is still more of a blunt tool because you're not able to feed the machine well.”
To overcome these challenges, it’s critical to strike the right balance between machine predictions and human expertise. “Artificial intelligence is great, but real intelligence—human intelligence—is even better,” Dr. Hunt said, highlighting the importance of collaboration with partners who can complement AI tools with practical problem-solving experience.
“If they have AI helping them, that’s fantastic, but ultimately, when I’m reaching out to a partner, I’m still looking for problem-solving experience.”
Continuous flow chemistry is rapidly gaining traction as companies look for more efficient and adaptable methods. Unlike batch processing, where all reagents are added at once, continuous flow chemistry involves feeding reagents into a reactor at a controlled rate. As Dr. Gamil Alhakimi, CEO and Co-Founder of GL CHEMTEC, recently explained in our discussion on continuous flow chemistry, “Chemical reactions occur in a continuously flowing stream rather than in isolated, discrete batches."
This process offers several key advantages that drive its growing adoption in the industry:
Key advantages of continuous flow chemistry
For companies considering this transition, Dr. Alhakimi advised a gradual approach: “Start with small-scale pilot projects and focus on optimizing the entire process flow, not just replacing batch processes.” He also recommended leveraging automation, AI, and real-time monitoring to maximize the benefits of flow chemistry.
Finally, Dr. Alhakimi emphasized the importance of collaborating with contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) for successful implementation.
“The benefits of investing in innovative CDMO partners like GL CHEMTEC always become evident over time,” he said.
As demand for ophthalmic treatments continues to rise, 2025 and beyond will see a strong focus on emerging innovations in drug delivery systems. Researchers and manufacturers are increasingly exploring new ways to address the unique challenges of delivering drugs to the eye. These efforts are particularly critical in overcoming the barriers that impede effective drug absorption, and several key trends are shaping this space.
Dr. Wolf Nickel, a leading expert in the field and a member of GL CHEMTEC’s Scientific Advisory Board, recently highlighted the major barriers hindering efficient ophthalmic drug delivery:
Several emerging trends are shaping the future of ophthalmic drug delivery, and they represent critical areas of innovation for 2025 and beyond:
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