The first article in this periodic series reviewed the impact of cost pressures on the biopharmaceutical industry, in particular the challenges the industry faces in relation to high capital costs, complex processes, and long product development cycles (1). Here we examine what companies are doing to assess costs in decisions about process and technology choices relating to manufacturing of biologic drug substances. We will look into what companies are currently doing and what they need to be doing…
Upstream Processing
Are Generic HCP Assays Outdated?
Biomanufacturers face a conflict between low-cost generic host cell protein (HCP) assays and highly sensitive but more costly process-specific HCP assays that are usually not initiated until the proof-of-concept stage. But drug developers cannot expect sufficient sensitivity from most commercially available generic assays. For some companies, multiproduct HCP assays could offer a solution to the dilemma. Biopharmaceutical manufacture using genetically modified microorganisms and cell lines is typically associated with contamination by process-related impurities. One of the most important…
Changes in Raw Material Sources from Suppliers
Maintaining the supply chain of single-source raw materials is of utmost importance for a biopharmaceutical company’s manufacturing operations. As often happens, a supplier will notify its customer of process changes that might affect the quality or properties of supplied materials. Occasionally, a supplier might notify the customer of substitutions in its own supply chain or other changes in the source of its own raw materials. Customers must conduct appropriate testing using the “new†raw material(s) to ensure acceptable…
Is Bovine Albumin Too Complex to Be Just a Commodity?
Albumin is the most abundant serum protein. It serves several functions in vivo: e.g., binding and transport of fatty acids, hormones, and metal ions; maintenance of osmotic pressure and pH; and binding of exogenous toxins and products of lipid oxidation (1). Over time, development of large–scale purification methods have translated those functions into diagnostic, cell culture, and microbiological applications. It is important to note, however, that purification procedures can promote molecular changes and thereby add to the already…
Are “Land Mines†Hiding in Your Supplier Records?
A growing trend in US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters has been citations for “no justified rationale.†Since 2004, warning letters taking companies to task for poorly documented decision-making and risk-assessment practices has more than doubled — from two in 2004 to four in 2008 and five in 2009. These citations are always in relationship to risk-based decisions: sampling (what, how often, and how much), nonconformances and corrective/preventative actions (when is “root cause†actual root cause,…
Using Disposables in Cell-Culture–Based Vaccine Production
A recent private grant of US$10 billion for human vaccine applications illustrates the revival of interest in vaccine science (1). The 2009 response by vaccine manufacturers to the H1N1 pandemic revealed the convergence of three technological developments. First is a revolution in technology: Vaccines are being developed for diverse and unprecedented applications through a number of entirely new approaches. Second is the recent adoption of cultured cell-based production for a growing number of vaccines, such as influenza. And…
Is Bovine Albumin Too Complex to Be Just a Commodity?
For decades, the complexity of albumin has been researched extensively, yet many manufacturers and users of the protein have treated it more as a commodity. Because albumin has been readily available, suppliers and purchasers alike have frequently relied on more obvious measures of “purity†and other minimal release criteria to make their decisions. If a lot does not perform well in practice, the typical supplier’s response has been to investigate the manufacturing process for deviations, then correct them…
Improved HCP Quantitation By Minimizing Antibody Cross-Reactivity to Target Proteins
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities derived from a host cell expression system that may be present in trace amounts in a final drug substance. During biologics development, it is important to demonstrate that a bioprocess is efficient in removing HCPs and that it provides consistent control of HCP levels. Several techniques are typically used for detection, quantitation, and risk evaluation of HCPs in biologics. The most common are enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), Western blotting, sodium-dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide…
Nutrient Supplementation Strategies for Biopharmaceutical Production, Part 3
Scale-up studies are needed for assessing cell culture production system options and for testing nutrient supplementation techniques as well. With the many supplementation options available, choices need to be made as early in product development as possible because advantages can change with scale. One published fed-batch scale-up study testing from 3 L up to 2,500 L highlights items to be considered in addition to the nutrient supplementation process such as the impact of pH and CO2 control (1).…
Accelerating Bioassay Transfer in a GMP Environment
Most products in discovery by pharmaceutical companies today are biopharmaceuticals. Made by living organisms, these are typically large–molecular-weight products that rely on their secondary and tertiary structure for therapeutic effectiveness. Synthetic small molecules and biopharmaceuticals both require analytical verification for release, but only biopharmaceuticals require functional potency assays for investigational new drug (IND), biological license application (BLA), and new drug application (NDA) submissions. Those activities often require elaborate transfers of diverse, biological, product specific assays that carry greater chances of…