Current needs of the pharmaceutical industry: opportunities and challenges for implementing novel drying technologies

Commercial drying methods are limited either by high production costs or significant quality loss due to process-related stresses. The near-ubiquitous use of freeze-drying in the pharmaceutical industry makes it the standard to which other drying technologies are compared. However, the shortcomings of lyophilization warrant evaluation of new techniques and the benefits they offer, such as compatibility with continuous manufacturing. Novel drying technologies must also overcome barriers to commercial implementation including, but not limited to, scalability and integration into a GMP environment. There remain several opportunities for further research which direct focus and investment strategy for the next generation pharmaceutical drying technologies.