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Richard Hansen Dean

Using AI in Pharmaceutical Research and Development

Since artificial intelligence first became a reality, a diverse range of industries have looked to implement the software to increase efficiency and cut back on human error. For the pharmaceutical industry, it has been instrumental in increasing productivity and accuracy while designing new drugs. Today, what was once a years-long process, can now be shortened to just a few months.

By automating the discovery phase of new drug development, pharmaceutical researchers can now focus on more important tasks, such as perfecting the formulation of medications and running clinical trials. Of course, the range of AI benefits is extensive and yet to be fully exploited. To better understand how the technology will transform the pharmaceutical industry, Richard Hansen Dean explores how it is currently being used in research and development.

Richard Hansen Dean

The Old Challenges of Drug Discovery

The process of designing new drugs is long, expensive, and fraught with failure. In fact, the probability of success from candidate to clinical trial is less than 12%. And even when a drug does make it to clinical trials, the average success rate is a mere 30%. The primary reason for such low success rates is that the process of designing new drugs is still largely reliant on chance.

Scientists typically start with a hypothesis and then test it through a series of experiments. If the hypothesis is correct, they move on to the next step. If not, these scientists must go back to the drawing board. The problem is that there are an infinite number of potential hypotheses to test and an infinite number of ways to test them.

The vast majority of these will fail, and the process starts all over again. It’s a time-consuming and expensive process with a very low success rate. In fact, the average cost of bringing a new drug to market is now estimated to be as high as $2.8 billion.

How AI is Helping

Artificial intelligence is being used to speed up drug discovery and increase the success rate of new drugs. The first way AI is being used is to help screen for new drugs. In the past, scientists would test a compound against a disease and then run a series of experiments to see if it was effective. This process is now being automated with the help of machine learning.

Machine learning algorithms are being used to screen for new drugs by analyzing data from previous experiments. By doing so, they can identify patterns that lead to success. This information is then used to design new experiments and test new compounds. In addition, AI is being used to help design new drugs.

In the past, the process of designing new drugs was largely reliant on trial and error. Scientists would test a compound against a disease and then modify the structure of the compound based on the results. The analysis is now being automated with the help of artificial intelligence and the resulting data can then be used to design new compounds.

Final Thoughts

Artificial intelligence is already having a transformative effect on the pharmaceutical industry. By automating the process of drug discovery and development, AI is helping to speed up the process of designing new drugs and reducing the cost of bringing them to market. In the future, AI could even be used to predict the side effects of new drugs, further reducing the risk of failure.

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Richard Hansen Dean

All-in-One Solutions for the Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry is constantly changing, leading many companies to look for new and innovative ways to stay ahead of their competition. By incorporating all-in-one solutions, pharmaceutical companies can save time and money, remain flexible, reduce waste, and improve the quality of their products. The IMA Group seeks to solve these problems and has developed the very solutions to meet the industry’s needs.

By combining their latest digital tools and artificial intelligence with continuous manufacturing processes and automated capsule filling stations, IMA Group has developed a range of all-in-one solutions that will help pharmaceutical companies reduce inefficiencies, improve quality standards, and monitor their systems with greater accuracy. Richard Hansen Dean takes a look at what they’ve developed and discovers how it will benefit the pharmaceutical industry.

IMA Group’s Adapta 50 Compact Capsule Filler Improves Quality Control

The first all-in-one solution from IMA Group is the Adapta 50 compact capsule filler. This machine is designed to reduce the number of operators needed to fill capsules, as well as improve quality control. The Adapta 50 is outfitted with IMA Group’s latest corporate HMI, which streamlines the system navigation process and allows operators to quickly adjust settings.

Thanks to soft linear motor movements, the filler can accurately dose up to three compounds within a single capsule without spilling or losing any product, even at high speeds. This helps to cut operating costs while simultaneously increasing output. And, best of all, the filler is designed with a fully visible infeed system that allows for easy inspections.

IMA Digital Incorporates AI Systems and Digital Tools to Streamline Training and Machine Maintenance

IMA Digital, a subsidiary of IMA Group, has also developed a range of digital solutions that will help pharmaceutical companies to streamline their operations. One such solution is the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can be used to train new employees or monitor existing ones.

For example, the AI system can be used to provide employees with real-time feedback on their performance. This will help to improve the quality of training and ensure that employees are up to date on the latest procedures. Additionally, the AI system can be used to automatically monitor the performance of smart machines and identify any potential maintenance issues.

Richard Hansen Dean

With IMA Active Continuous Manufacturing, Companies Can Cut Their Utility Consumption

Another all-in-one solution from IMA Group is the Active Continuous Manufacturing process. This process has been designed to reduce the amount of energy and water required to operate pharmaceutical systems without a drop in output. Additionally, it will help to cut down on the amount of waste generated by the manufacturing process.

The Active continuous manufacturing process is made up of a number of interconnected stations that work together to create a product. This includes a direct compression station, a continuous coating station, and a direct encapsulation station. By incorporating this process, companies can reduce the amount of time, money, and resources needed to produce their products.

Final Thoughts

IMA Group has developed a range of all-in-one solutions that will help pharmaceutical companies to improve the quality of their products, reduce waste, and cut costs. These solutions are sure to streamline operations and improve the performance of any company that chooses to incorporate them.

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Richard Hansen Dean

What is Meant by Pharmaceutical Care

The term “pharmaceutical care” might not be immediately clear to those first hearing it. Although for years pharmaceutical care was defined basically as the provision of drugs in a responsible manner to achieve the desired outcome for the patient, more recent and modern definitions have emerged to encompass the definition more fully.

Pharmaceutical care means the responsible care and safe provision of medications and drugs from pharmacists to patients to decrease symptoms and optimize health outcomes by using the appropriate pharmaceuticals.

Richard Hansen Dean discusses the definition of care in the pharmaceutical world, highlighting some of the main points how this concept has developed over the years.

The traditional definition

The most traditional definition of the term pharmaceutical care comes from an article entitled, “Opportunities and Responsibilities in Pharmaceutical Care,” which was published in 1990, and written by Hepler and Strand. This made the term pharmaceutical care become more mainstream, causing some ideas to be circulated in the care practices of pharmacies and hospitals.

The definition of pharmaceutical care according to the article is providing drug therapy responsibly in order to attain definite outcomes that are attempting to improve the quality of life for the patient.

This means that proper and good pharmaceutical care directly involved providing drugs and medications in a responsible manner in order to help the patient to achieve their desired results in healthcare, whether that be to slow the progress of an illness or disease or prevent one entirely.

Richard Hansen Dean

More recent definitions

Many years after the traditional definition of pharmaceutical care began circulating through hospitals and pharmacies, a new definition created by the PCNE, or the Pharmaceutical Care Network of Europe came to be. The new definition of pharmaceutical care was a pharmacist’s, participation in the care of the patient to attempt to optimize health outcomes using approved medicines.

After conducting an initial search for the definition of pharmaceutical care, fourteen members of the PCNE, as well as ten additional experts, spent a session brainstorming ideas and ways to paraphrase all of the definitions into one broad definition that encompassed them all. Eventually, they came to a consensus on the best definition.

The goal of pharmaceutical care

Largely, the goal of a good pharmacy is to reduce the symptoms a patient may be experiencing, slow the spread or growth of a disease, or prevent an illness or health concern from happening through the use of drug therapy.

The responsible provision of quality and approved medication and drugs is a pharmacist’s main duty. Helping a customer attain the results they are trying and hoping for, applying patient-oriented care, and attempting meaningful and active ways of achieving the best results are all duties of a good pharmacist as well.

Providing good education and answering any questions a patient may have is another thing a good pharmacist must take responsibility for and strive to accomplish. Developing good, trustworthy relationships between pharmacists, hospitals, and patients is a necessity in order for good pharmaceutical care to take place.

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Richard Hansen Dean

The Future of Pharmaceutical Facilities

With the speed that technology is increasing and improving, it is no wonder that change is imminent in many areas of the economic world, including the development of pharmaceutical facilities.

In the next few years, the future of pharmaceutical facilities is looking forward to an expansion of labs and buildings needed for research and development. Automation and robotic elements will no doubt come into play as well.

Richard Hansen Dean discusses more about the future of pharmaceutical facilities, and some of the interesting changes expected to roll out in the next few years.

Expansion of buildings and labs


According to an article put out by the Wall Street Journal, the demand for science labs surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shockingly, over 31 million square feet of space in life sciences has been under development since the fourth quarter of 2021.

New science labs will pave the way for new research to be done. These spaces will promote flexible and versatile workspaces that can adapt and change over time to account for new needs or developments. Many places are also trying to create a space for automation and robotic elements to occur.

Versatility of space

With a demand for more space, there has been a push to revamp old spaces in order to use it to its maximum potential. In many ways, companies are looking for ways to use different spaces in multiple ways, in order to make the space versatile for whatever task is needed throughout the day.

In some cases, the old spaces are simply not enough to satisfy the growing needs of the facility. In these circumstances, companies are looking for new real estate spaces that they can build out however they desire. Alternatively, some companies have demolished their old spaces and built brand new ones to suit their needs.

Richard Hansen Dean

Automation and robotic elements

Without a doubt, new automatic and robotic technologies will soon come into play in the realm of pharmaceutical facilities. According to one source, within the next few years, more facilities will be operating with almost entirely automated features.

Warehouses are one of the main places that these features are taking place. The goal in the end is to have Automated Guided Vehicles guide and move materials, drug products, or samples from place to place. Warehouses and labs are already planning on installing wider doors, automatic door openers, and adequate flooring for these automatic processes to occur with ease.

There has also been talk of adding AI to lab spaces, which could potentially increase the safety and standardization of the facility.

Overall, the modern future of pharmaceutical facilities must be able to satisfy the needs of many minds at once. The space needs to be constructed in a versatile way in order to ensure the completion of multiple tasks, and it needs to be able to be easily modified so that different tasks can be completed at different points throughout the day.