Online Strategies for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Traditional pharmaceutical marketing techniques are becoming less effective. With 80% of online consumers searching for health information regularly, there is a growing need for the pharmaceutical industry to develop integrated online strategies. This figure coincides with the rapid growth of direct pharmaceutical sales to consumers which grew from $700 million in 1997 to an incredible $4.2 billion in 2005 (United States Government Accountability Office 2006).

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 113 million Americans – or 37% of the country – use the internet to find health-related information. But Michael Keriakos, co-founder and president of Waterfront Media, estimates that whilst companies in other industries are dedicating around 10% of their budgets to their online strategies, pharmaceutical companies, on average, dedicate less than 2%.

The internet is a medium where pharmaceutical companies can ‘get alongside’ patients and physicians alike, and effective online strategies offers a more complete brand experience. With the web having high usability and accessibility, it has become the largest known audience for any marketing tool and is the fastest way to spread information globally. Not only is it vast, but it can be used to target specific markets making it a personal approach to marketing. It is an invaluable market research tool with the ability to fully record, track and analyse online strategies. Its global research presents the pharmaceutical industry an opportunity to reach emerging markets effectively both in resources and in outcomes.

Developing online strategies not only results in lower costs for the distribution of information and media to a global audience, but its interactivity means you can provide and elicit instant responses to user queries. Whilst online strategiesis often considered to have a broader scope because it incorporates the internet, social media, email and wireless media, it is also targeted using tracking software, statistics and analysis, management of customer data and electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems.

http://www.design-logix.co.uk/blog/blog-entry/online_strategies_for_the_pharmaceutical_industry

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Translations for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Here is an excerpt from an article from Future Pharmaceuticals Magazine regarding the special role of professional translations within the pharmaceutical industry, some of the challenges in the process, and the importance of working with a professional translation agency with experience in this specific area. The article features an interview with Jodi Castro, President and CEO of ABC Translation Services, LLC.”The world of clinical trials is expanding with many patient participants being engaged from sites around the globe. This calls for a clear translation — that is the translation of the study must be contextual and factual in whatever language it is being read. For pharmaceutical companies that do not have this speci?c expertise, the translation industry can be a link to clear communication.Future Pharmaceuticals: What is the role of the translation industry and why is it so critical to the globalization of the pharmaceutical industry?Jodi Castro: In clinical trials, the need to find patient participants outside of the U.S. has become increasingly important. With this need comes the requirement for clear and open communication of the study, however, this expertise is rarely a core competency in a pharmaceutical company or clinical research organization (CRO). This is where the translation industry fits into the equation — global communication is the core expertise of the translation industry with specialized communications critical to the successful clinical trial environment.Additionally, translation services provide solutions to the issues the pharmaceutical industry faces in communicating with world populations. Clinical trial translations are filled with industry-specific terms and specializations which must be understood within the context of the end-user culture prior to the translation. The translation agency offers expertise and insight regarding cultural nuances among each ethnicity and specifically to key disciplines — including scientific, medical, and legal professionals within native-speaking communities. A translation partner navigates the issues related to properly communicating industry-specific language to native-speaking end-users and eliminates costly delays and errors.FP: What are the most important aspects/characteristics of a translation service partner to the pharmaceutical industry?JC: Choosing the proper language partner is critical to the successful outcome of a clinical trial. First and foremost, it is important that the language partner can provide translations into virtually any language, and has access to a global network of professional linguists. These linguists must be certified specialists in the target market having a complete knowledge and full understanding of the culture where the clinical trial is taking place. This will play a vital role when recruiting patients and developing proper communications; ensuring consistency, accuracy and reducing the risk for error. An effective language partner must also provide: dedicated project management and key personnel; administrative and standard operational procedures which meet regulatory requirements; and key product deliverables — from patient-enrollment outreach materials and diaries to medical product inserts and labels. Beyond the ability to fulfill standard business requirements, a true translation partner shares client goals and assumes an ownership for the achievement of these goals throughout the lifecycle of the project. As with any partnership, effective communication from the beginning is crucial to a productive relationship. Having confidence in a translation agency that provides the best possible client service and strategic approach can prove to be an invaluable long-term resource.ABC Translation Services (translationsabc.com) provides the best of all worlds: it has the depth and resources to handle projects of any size, targeting any culture or language in the world, yet it is small enough to provide unparalleled customer service and support, as it has done for over 20 years. ABC has sustained long-term relationships, which inevitably provide work flow efficiencies and cost savings over time.”To read the remainder of this article, please visit our website at www.translationsabc.com

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Pharmaceutical Industry Faces Financial Crises

Financial Crises has hit the manufacturer of the medicines considerably, many of the pharmaceutical giants have declined the new job recruitment that they were making every year. In comparison to the last year, the business of the pharmaceutical giants is decreased by the 31%. Even the drugs that were selling like the hot cakes in the pharmaceutical market are now feeling the less demand from the customers. The pharmaceutical companies are even cutting down their employee strength by either removing the trainee employees or by reducing the salaries of the permanent employees. The recruitment done by the pharmaceutical industries in the last year is only 3%, very less in comparison to the recruitment done in previous years.Even the other pharmaceutical giants like Merck and Sonafi Aventis has declared that they will not be doing any new recruitment for the next year and no bonuses will be given to the employees. They have even declared that the sales executive who will not be able to achieve their targets will be given a pink slip the next month. No employee in the company will be given the benefits of the performance incentives and also the unnecessary expenses done by the company to promote the products will be cut down. Even the lots of money spend on the packaging and distribution of the products is tried to be cut down. The promotional campaigns are also been shut down in order to cope up with the current economical crises. Even the cuts in the salaries of the employees have been done by some pharmaceutical companies in order to save the money.The companies manufacturing the branded drugs are facing a lot of competition from the low cost drugs manufacturers and thus this competition is one major reason why pharmaceutical industries manufacturing branded drugs are facing the heat of the financial recession. Low cost drugs are the exact replicas of the branded drugs and show the same effectiveness, additionally; they are available at very low costs than the branded drugs. This phenomenon of best quality available at lower price has helped remarkably to increase the sale of low cost drugs, and thus has decreased the sale of the branded drugs. The sale of the low cost drugs is increasing and the sale of the branded drugs is decreasing because of the exceptional high costs kept by the branded drugs manufacturers. The government policy to promote the low cost drugs has made consumer aware of the low cost medicines and thus are going only for them. This has affected the sale of the branded drugs manufacturer. The government has also reduced the taxes on the low cost drugs in order to promote the low cost drugs. Thus, the sale of the branded drugs is affected considerably due to the ever increasing demand of the low cost drugs. The pharmaceutical giants thus have to eliminate discretionary spending, overtime, and temporary workers to match up with the prices of the low cost drugs. Cost cutting is only way through which pharmaceutical giants can cope with the recession factor. Many of the pharmaceutical companies have even asked the drug distributors to reduce their profit range in order to keep the prices of the drugs low.In the European countries, branded drugs were the only drugs that were sold and no one was purchasing the low cost drugs still the last year, but because of the financial crises and lot of publicity from the low cost drugs manufacturers, the increase in the sale of low cost drugs and decrease in the sale of the branded drugs is noted. But, the main concern for everybody is that even the low cost drugs sale in not up to the mark because consumer is not pertaining to the buy more medicines. This decline is observed in the entire world in the sale of the medicines and thus the financial crises are making the condition are hitting the pharmaceutical industry badly.

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Are Pharmaceutical Companies Immune to Recession

Are Pharmaceutical Companies Immune to Recession

The world is going through a crucial time. Recession has hit the world and all industries; more or less, are affected by it. All of a sudden, uncertainty has become a part of almost all the sectors. We have not experienced such a financial crisis since 1930s. The year 2008 was marked by uncertainty and volatility in the global financial environment. The consequences of the financial crisis have caused severe inflationary pressures. Such an environment has generated deteriorating conditions even for the pharmaceutical industry. On the other hand, pharmaceutical companies have never proven to be a vulnerable sector to volatility and are not completely sensitive to economy.

This is an industry which knows that their industry will not be severely hit as illness never understands financial crisis, even in the hour of recession. People need healthcare regardless of the economy. This is the reason that healthcare providers have been one of the top performers, till now. People are running to invest in healthcare sector as it is considered to be the safest in times like this. The pharmaceutical sector has done fairly well in the US stock market and has brought flow of money in the sector. It is not that pharmaceutical industry has escaped the recession; there is certainly a decrease in growth but not ruthless decline. The sector is not as severely hit as the banking and financial sector or the automotive sector.

Global healthcare spending is definitely going to expand as the life expectancy has grown in the past. Long lived consumers will increase the demand for pharmaceuticals. As per the US census bureau, 24% of the nation’s population is 55 years and older as of July 1, 2008. Further, it has forecasted that the number of people in this age group would increase to approximately 97 million by 2020. The growing population in US, combined with chronic disease will ensure continued growth of the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical companies are also focusing on merger activities with biotechnology firms. Present economic slowdown has given an opportunity to big pharmaceutical companies; to focus on biotechnology companies, to boost their R&D pipeline. In today’s environment, when the Japanese Yen is rising against US Dollar, Japanese companies are in a better position to buy pharmaceutical or biotech companies.

During the economic downturn pharmaceutical companies are also facing challenges from generic drugs, expiry of patent of some of their blockbuster drugs and hesitance of FDA for new drug approval. In this time of recession, the pharma companies have shown great interest in online marketing. Few companies are taking the help of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and are witnessing successful results. The company may see strong online brand presence, if online marketing strategy is implemented in the right way. Pharmaceutical companies can also take advantage from various online portals.

In this context, Pharmaceutical Business Review has emerged as a provider of market analysis and business intelligence report on biotechnology, drug discovery, healthcare services, OTC, drug delivery, drug manufacturing, medical devices and CRO (Contract Research Organisation). It keeps the pharmaceutical companies informed on latest news and reports. This helps the companies in analyzing the latest trend of medical and pharmaceutical industries in this time of crisis.

It seems that this tough time is here to stay for all the industries including pharmaceutical sector, but the silver lining is that healthcare spending is going to increase. This will help pharmaceutical companies in growing and the focusing on online marketing which will eventually prove to be highly helpful for the economy.

www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com

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Innovation in Pharmaceutical Industry

One of the biotechs was Repligen, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm (founded in 1981) that specialized in efforts to develop treatments for cancer and inflammation, as well as AIDS. Typical in several regards of the new pattern of R&D was the experience of the Merck Research Laboratories (MRL). While pursuing in-house research, the firm also worked with two biotech companies on alternative approaches to HIV prevention with a vaccine or treatment. Later, Merck collaborated with MedImmune, Inc., a Maryland biotech, in an attempt to use that firm’s monoclonal antibodies as a means of preventing HIV infection. The Merck/Repligen combination at first produced some promising results, but neither the vaccine research nor the explorations of monoclonal antibodies proved fruitful. Meanwhile, MRL’s in-house research was successful in developing a novel antiretroviral therapy, Crixivan (indinavir). However, some researchers remained unconvinced with the results from such collaborations, because as Galambos and Sturchio assert, “large pharma has no real absorptive capacity to completely benefit from a strategy of merging with dedicated biotechnology firms”.

Opposing to the view of Galambos and Sturchio, other experts present several reasons to why large corporations successfully collaborate in innovation areas within one industry. According to some, the science base represents a magnet for information technology and biotechnology business. Colleges and universities with a high rate of generating significant innovations like University of California Medical School, San Francisco in medical research and Stanford in IT and biotechnology, can be considered as bases upon which commercialization of new knowledge is built. Logically, because scientific output represents an economic value it attracts both venture capital and pharmaceutical companies who have an interest in both utilizing the knowledge but also protecting their investment by placing their managers in the start-ups or acquired firms. In addition, small companies, especially in highly knowledge-driven industries, depend heavily on social capital (Cooke and Wills 1999).

Therefore, small innovative firms benefit from intellectual, technological and social “spillovers” based on network collaborations with other entrepreneurs, other scientists, financiers and companies in the same industry and with comparable mindsets to themselves. Unlike Galambos and Sturchio or other opposing specialists, Teece in regard to biochemical industry offered a term of “strategic alliances” or alliances in which both parties, in this case large pharmaceutical company and start-up research laboratory share their complementary assets.

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Tags: Article Review, Article Writing, Book Report, Change, Essay Writing, Essay-papernet, Innovation, Literature Review, Pharmaceutical Industry, Report Writing, Writing
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Innovation in Pharmaceutical Industry

One of the biotechs was Repligen, a Cambridge, Massachusetts, firm (founded in 1981) that specialized in efforts to develop treatments for cancer and inflammation, as well as AIDS. Typical in several regards of the new pattern of R&D was the experience of the Merck Research Laboratories (MRL). While pursuing in-house research, the firm also worked with two biotech companies on alternative approaches to HIV prevention with a vaccine or treatment. Later, Merck collaborated with MedImmune, Inc., a Maryland biotech, in an attempt to use that firm’s monoclonal antibodies as a means of preventing HIV infection. The Merck/Repligen combination at first produced some promising results, but neither the vaccine research nor the explorations of monoclonal antibodies proved fruitful. Meanwhile, MRL’s in-house research was successful in developing a novel antiretroviral therapy, Crixivan (indinavir). However, some researchers remained unconvinced with the results from such collaborations, because as Galambos and Sturchio assert, “large pharma has no real absorptive capacity to completely benefit from a strategy of merging with dedicated biotechnology firms”.

Opposing to the view of Galambos and Sturchio, other experts present several reasons to why large corporations successfully collaborate in innovation areas within one industry. According to some, the science base represents a magnet for information technology and biotechnology business. Colleges and universities with a high rate of generating significant innovations like University of California Medical School, San Francisco in medical research and Stanford in IT and biotechnology, can be considered as bases upon which commercialization of new knowledge is built. Logically, because scientific output represents an economic value it attracts both venture capital and pharmaceutical companies who have an interest in both utilizing the knowledge but also protecting their investment by placing their managers in the start-ups or acquired firms. In addition, small companies, especially in highly knowledge-driven industries, depend heavily on social capital (Cooke and Wills 1999).

Therefore, small innovative firms benefit from intellectual, technological and social “spillovers” based on network collaborations with other entrepreneurs, other scientists, financiers and companies in the same industry and with comparable mindsets to themselves. Unlike Galambos and Sturchio or other opposing specialists, Teece in regard to biochemical industry offered a term of “strategic alliances” or alliances in which both parties, in this case large pharmaceutical company and start-up research laboratory share their complementary assets.

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Pharmaceutical Industry: Innovation

According to Zucker, in biotech and pharmaceutical industry proximity to potential knowledge-assets and opportunities for commercialization constitutes s a great stimulus to entrepreneurship, especially around “star” scientists or entrepreneurs. In the interdisciplinary study Brewer provides evidence that mentioned inter-organizational alliances differ from traditional hierarchical relationships, because exchanges are external to the companies, and simultaneously those exchanges constitute not only market relationships.

Practically, legal contracting constitutes only a part of such processes: reciprocity, shared norms of trustworthy behavior, honesty in research appear and respect for individual property rights to be relevant components of these alliances, enhancing their flexibility, enabling companies to gain access to unique resources and reduce costs. According to Teece, such alliances of innovation in pharmaceutical and biotech industry represent both explicit and implicit contractual activity. Furthermore, such networks are seen as a more powerful incentive for specialized companies to share their knowledge than integration through acquisition by established firms. In the latter case, it is likely that skilled employees, the key assets of the company, won’t accept the new vertical organisation, and they may leave away; if the organisation has not already designed specific internal knowledge, such acquisition strategies may result in competence destruction.

It is necessary to stress that the observations were largely based on the practical activities of SmithKline corporation as well as Eli Lilly in 80s. SmithKline-a firm some analysts had considered one of the weaker research organizations in the industry-used part of the profits from its blockbuster ulcer treatment, Tagamet, to push into new areas of immunology and into the field of recombinant DNA vaccines. SmithKline was able to bring out a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in 1986 and was meanwhile working with Damon and Amgen on other biotech therapies. Johnson & Johnson used research contracts (with Immunomedics) and joint projects (with Amgen) as its bridge into genetic research, and by 1988, Pfizer was collaborating with four different biotech enterprises through licensing agreements, research contracts, and joint projects. After consolidating and expanding its in-house programs, the Upjohn Company also began to develop external links to biotechnology in the 1980s.

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The Changing Face of the Pharmaceutical Industry

Fill prescriptions and hand out pills? If only it were that simple! Those who pursue a pharmacy profession perhaps might have cause to wonder just how so much politics got mixed with their job?

Plan B, the “morning after” pill
It hovers conveniently between being a contraceptive and an abortion aid. It is one or the other, certainly, but how? And do you have moral grounds to refuse to fill a prescription for it? How about the legal grounds? That’s what pharmacists are asking all over the country.

Plan B is nothing more than a high dose of the synthetic hormone progestin the same ingredient in traditional birth control pills. Sold in the US, it can be used to prevent pregnancy for up to five days after sex though it is most effective when taken within 24 hours of intercourse. Plan B, its manufacturer says, reduces the odds of pregnancy by eighty-nine percent. Put another way, out of a hundred women having unprotected sex, typically eight will get pregnant; using Plan B, only one will.

But researchers can’t rule out the possibility that Plan B may also prevent implantation of eggs in the uterus, unlike a contraceptive which simply prevent the egg from being fertilized. They’re not sure because under natural conditions some fertilized eggs fail to implant anyway. So in studies on Plan B, there is virtually no way to tell whether the failure to implant is natural, or caused by the progestin in Plan B and is hence an “abortion pill”.

To further muddy the waters, many anti-abortion groups have been branching out to oppose contraception, too. Some see a direct connection between the practice of contraception and the practice of abortion. Religious bodies such as the Catholic church have traditionally been against contraception anyway. This leaves pharmacists caught in the middle, with a few of them choosing sides. Some have actually refused to supply the pill, citing religious reasons. This is one debate that promises to drag out for a long time before pharmacists are sure exactly what they should do.

Illegal here and legal there
The influx of Canadian pharmaceuticals in recent years has shown that not every American agrees with how their representative democracy regulates drugs. A kind of patchwork class struggle has ensued, with some opposing certain kinds of drugs on everything from financial to political to religious grounds and others being the elderly, infirm, or just plain liberal getting what they need however they can.

Though it is still illegal to import pharmaceuticals from Canada or other countries outside the States, the government now says that it is backing off strict enforcements that have irritated elderly consumers buying cheaper Canadian drugs. However, the Bush administration still claims that importing Canadian drugs is dangerous because the medicines could be inferior or counterfeit. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has said that the shift in policy does not mean that Canadian drugs are safe, but that the agency has simply decided to refocus its resources.

Called into question is the purity of motives. America still has no citizen-wide health plan to speak of, and citizens must rely on insurance. Meanwhile Canadians enjoy their health care free (well, taxed), and Americans are quick to cross a border to take advantage of a freer drug economy. One must question that if money weren’t involved, would this even be an issue? The FDA’s objections are based on the notion that Canadian drugs may be unsafe to take. Yet they seem to be good enough for Canadians to take…

ADHD
Ritalin and other stimulants are increasingly shown to be doing more harm than good, while the diagnosis of Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder is rapidly being shown to be quackery. That would have been heresy five years ago, when it was nothing but a rant for the occasional lone nut. But now child psychologists, neurologists, and pediatric physicians are starting to speak out on it. And they are making these strong accusations.

There’s the recently commenced FDA hearings, which pertain to reports of death, strokes and heart attacks in children and adults treated for ADHD Most recently the number one ADHD drug has been reported to cause strokes, some were sudden deaths and others were heart complications. Furthermore, the various drugs used to treat ADHD are always amphetamines, which are potentially as addicting as cocaine. And we prescribe it for half of the population, since the symptom list to ADHD reads pretty much like anybody could have it on a boring day.

It is certain that somebody, somewhere in the system wants ADHD and amphetamine prescriptions to stay around, leaving families, parents, and doctors to wonder whether they are seeing a real disease being treated, or a corporate machine grinding them into it’s bottom line.

The marketing of drugs
Every country in the world bans the practice of direct-to-consumer drug advertising… except the United States. Here, consumers are subjected to a never-ending barrage of televised drug ads showing for an increasing array of patented chemicals to treat a mystifyingly trivial array of “diseases” and “disorders”. TV commercials get more and more vague as to what, exactly, their product treats. Essentially, it amounts to taking pills for nothing. They actually have an acronym all their own: SMD, “Spontaneous Mass Diagnosis”, where a new disorder is “discovered”, then a bunch of patients are created who are potential customers for the pill the company which “discovered” the disorder.

A serious backlash against this direct marketing and it’s effect on the industry has yet to find a voice. Mostly passive controversy exists. Americans, as it turns out, are more liberal about drugs than we once thought, as even those who strongly oppose the commercial drug racket tend to shrug and say “But if somebody wants to take it, let them!”

Will it get more controversial?
Much of these issues being raised are the result of advances in the way we practice medicine. But they are only a start. There are more advances in medical science being made today, and they will almost certainly lead to more political “hot-button” issues landing in the pharmaceutical industry’s collective lap.

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Pharmaceutical Industry

I would like to stress again that I believe prevention is the first point of call.

If you find yourself regularly visiting the doctor or popping pills (even for headaches) it is imperative to examine your current lifestyle. By incorporating supportive eating, appropriate exercise (including not excessively) and consciously trying to reduce stressors (like getting to bed late, reducing alcohol consumption, being a non-smoker) many of the common afflictions will be dealt with and the body will be given a chance to do its natural job of healing.

But what happens when we do get sick or fall into a state of disease? For most people that means turning to pharmaceutical drugs for relief and treatment. In the US alone pharmacies filled 3 billion drug prescriptions in 2000. “That’s enough drugs for every man, woman and child to have a prescription each new month of the year!” (1)

Now many people have benefited from pharmaceutical drugs particularly in the short term but I ask the question: “Have we become too dependent on man-made chemicals for our wellbeing? Are we looking for health solutions in wrong places?”

Here are some facts about big pharma in the UK:

• 1999 – £ 529.8 million spent on prescription in England

• 2001 – 587 million prescription items dispensed in England (6.4% increase on 2000)

• Aspirin Disper Tablet is the most commonly prescribed drug

• UK pharmaceutical exports in 2000 were £7.5 billion (2)

Potential risks of Prescription Drugs According to Dr. Bruce H. Pomeranz from the University of Toronto: “It’s estimated that bad reactions to prescription and over the counter medicines kill more than 100,000 Americans and seriously injure an additional 2.1 million every year.” (2)

“Aspirin and related drugs kill almost as many people as Aids. If those deaths were given their own category, they would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States.” Wolfe et al (Boston Universtiy School of Medicine, Reported in Reuters News Agency June 17, 1999) (2)

So I would like to leave you with a highly controversial cartoon that was posted on mercola.com that challenges the role of ‘Big Pharma’.

I hope this provides some help in shaping and influencing your own health solutions. Enjoy!

www.mercola.com/townofallopath/townofallopath.htm

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

References

(1) Mercola.com, http://www.mercola.com/2002/apr/13/ pharmaceuticalspending.htm

(2) Optimum Health and Fitness through Practical Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching Manual, C.H.E.K Institute, 2002

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Tags: Disease, Drug Industry, Health, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pill, Prescription, Prevention, Sickness
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Six Sigma And Lean For The Pharmaceutical Industry

This is because Six Sigma aims at minimizing variation in products and processes, and Lean Manufacturing aims at eliminating manufacturing waste.
Possible Areas for Implementation:
-Research and Development
The Research and Development process is the most important process in pharmaceutical companies and forms a major part of costs. The Lean concept is desirable in this scenario to understand the critical processes to new drug development, and to research and streamline existing ones.
It is important to have these objectives to reduce drug failures, effect maximum utilization of resources, and increase productivity and optimum utilization of staff and other resources.
-Cycle Times
Increased cycle times are major factors affecting the timely manufacture, supply and launch new drugs. The earlier companies can take advantage of this market situation ultimately means the difference between success and failure of the product.
Value stream mapping and process modeling concepts of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma can help in reducing cycle times and operational costs, in addition to increasing the efficiency of processes as well as staff.
-Defects
Any defects with respect to drugs would be a big blow to any pharmaceutical company. Lean concepts such as DFSS can help, as they utilize tested scientific tools and statistical tools that help reduce the cost of human errors.
Companies can use advanced tools to conduct quality analysis, yield analysis, cost comparison of jobs, risk assessment and comparison of manufacturing processes at different sites.
Rewards of Six Sigma
The Lean transformation has to happen at the operations and management levels, as well as in the behaviors towards customer focus and consistent mission statement and values. Six Sigma teams should endeavor to change momentum in their organizations.
Six Sigma training cannot be ignored; a comprehensive strategy towards training needs at multiple points in the transformation to Lean means achieving stronger organizational skills throughout top management and other staff members.
In the transition to Lean Six Sigma, IT plays a very important role towards continual improvement. The complex pharmaceutical manufacturing structure requires flexible and interoperable IT systems. Systems should be in place that enable data mining and analysis quickly, accurately and efficiently. The data will then be more reliable.
With unduplicated data, the information recovered becomes the driving force in decision-making, as well as in lowering administrative costs. For example, if a batch of drugs released is defective, a reliable IT system can provide data towards the locations to which it has been dispatched, as well to find out where the defect may have originated. With more dependence on automated checks built into the system, quality results are achievable.
This enables rapid analysis and design changes for the improvement of operating efficiency and compliance. Last but not least is the utilization of real-time demand driven sales, which helps reduce inventory and its carrying costs before product expiration.
The Six Sigma and Lean approach to the pharmaceutical industry has possibilities for implementation. Though not the easiest, its implementation can definitely reduce costs, process errors and product defects.

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