As a pharmaceutical company, making a decision on a contract manufacturer for some or all of the clinical phase drug product development is a big step. Choosing from the top contract pharmaceutical companies is a good option, but with any company taking a bit of time to complete some basic due diligence on the contract manufacturer is time well spent.
Check For Reputation
It isn’t hard to check for problems and issues with any of the contract pharmaceutical companies through a simple online search. There are several ways to check the reputation of a company in addition to simply searching for infractions of safety or drug recall issues.
Options to consider include feedback from others in the industry, typically others in the same company. Conferences and pharmaceutical gatherings can also be a good place to confer with trusted colleagues about their experience with specific contract manufacturers.
FDA warning letters or vague representations when discussing the services to be provided with the contract manufacturing process are other issues that are typically red flags to using a specific contract manufacturer.
Confidentiality Policy
In the pharmaceutical industry, trusting contract pharmaceutical companies is often a challenge. Leaks about drugs from the preformulation to manufacturing stages can create challenges with taking over niche markets as the first drug to address specific patient needs.
Always check the contract manufacturer’s policy on confidentiality through the process. Typically, top providers will make this an important part of their presentation, ensuring that the pharmaceutical company understands the importance of keeping information on the new drug highly secure.
While price and capacity are two important factors as well, the reputation and ability to keep the process confidential are often not considered enough when choosing a contract manufacturer. These issues are relatively easy to check for each contract manufacturer and failing to do so can result in problems later in the process.
