Internet of things (IoT) has the power to revolutionize pharmaceutical manufacturing in everything ranging from drug discovery to remote patient access and monitoring. Top pharma companies around the globe are increasingly adopting IoT technologies in their manufacturing plants in an effort to achieve optimization and improve process efficiency. Earlier, different data formats for different processes in a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant made data access and interpretation a significant challenge for effective communication. IoT technologies enable standardization within a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant by effectively connecting network, equipment, and systems across the plant. Furthermore, Pharma companies can also use IoT technologies to gain access to real-time data and visibility of operations through the entire manufacturing process.
Here’s a detailed look on how IoT will transform pharmaceutical manufacturing according to Infiniti Research:
- Industrial mechanics and maintenance: Although the use of industrial monitoring devices are already widespread in the pharmaceutical industry, real-time status information is yet to be widely available. Using pharma IoT monitoring sensors companies can instantaneously feed all relevant facility data into a single dashboard, alerting a supervisor in case of any abnormal conditions or urgent maintenance requirements. IoT in pharmaceutical manufacturing will also enable handling critical conditions remotely.
- Managing pharma supply chain: Once the drugs leave the manufacturing plant, they travel through different modes of transport and may be subject to varying temperatures and weather conditions. Although in most cases care is undertaken to maintain the packages within the prescribed temperatures, chances of variations during transit cannot be completely ruled out. IoT can be helpful in such situations to provide real-time data to manufacturers every step of the way with improved supply chain visibility. The temperature changes or any damage to the products will be immediately notified to the manufacturers and determine whether the drugs are fit to sell or not.
