Sustainability Goals Impacting Biopharma (BIO 2024)

Advanced therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have transformed the pharma industry, according to Stacey Treichler, senior director of Marketing and Strategy for Purolite at Ecolab. Various other innovations are also making their impact.

“We're seeing the increasing approvals of cell and gene therapies. And that's really exciting, because they're treating rare disease, degenerative disease, other hereditary diseases that were previously untreatable. But even within the antibody space, there has been quite a bit of innovation and disruption. So, we even see newer antibody modalities [such as] antibody fusions, bispecifics, multispecific, and antibody drug conjugates. And what's really exciting about those is they're also addressing unmet needs for things [such as] relapsed refractory cancer and other complex disorders,” Treichler states in an interview with the PharmTech Group prior to the BIO 2024 convention.

When it comes to saving costs, process intensification is allowing manufacturers to make more product with less footprint, according to Treichler. “And that's improving cost of goods for each gram of drug product manufactured. This can be applied across the traditional modalities, but also the more advanced modalities.”

The industry is also being impacted by the push for sustainability in biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, with companies factoring sustainability into their strategies. “One of the things that we would advise is, don't just think about your own internal operations, but think about the operations of your suppliers, because that's really an extension of your footprint,” says Treichler. “A key area that pharma companies can focus on is water usage. Moving cooling, heating, and treating water across any facility requires energy. And by reducing water usage, companies can lower their energy consumption and greenhouse gas.”

Watch the video for the full interview. Purolite/Ecolab will be showcasing its products and services at the 2024 BIO International Convention in San Diego, Calif., from June 3–6.