Pharma production to get digital boost from China’s Triastek and Siemens JV

The global pharmaceutical industry is set to receive a timely fillip after China-based Triastek, Inc. and Siemens Ltd agreed to advance digital innovations for the sector.

Drawing upon Triastek’s 3D printing and digital pharmaceutical prowess and Siemens’ bleeding-edge automation and digitisation technology, the pact is expected to help propel improvements in pharma manufacturing processes.

The JV comes as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency and China’s National Medical Products Administration have sought to spur Big Pharma to update industrial processes via the latest digitised techniques.

Siemens will address regulatory agency desires’ to reduce pharmaceutical product quality issues, lower manufacturing costs, and raise the availability of quality medicines for patients, while Triastek has adopted a ‘continuous manufacturing’ approach to production. The two firms also plan to build an intelligent pharmaceutical manufacturing centre featuring a virtual laboratory and ‘smart’ factory.

Last October Triastek released its Era 2.0 Open Strategy to commercialise its 3D printing technology with global pharmaceutical companies and suppliers across initial drug development through to commercial production.