Two-Year Backlog in Biologicals Manufacturing Hinders Medical R&D, Development of New Therapies for COVID-19
One area where COVID-19 has had a substantial impact is the development and manufacturing of medicines, medical devices, and pharmaceutical products. The CDMO industry is showing enormous growth and is projected to become a $315 billion industry by 2026. However, the demand for products skyrocketed so quickly that supply has not been able to keep pace. According to Dr. Ian White, president and CSO of Neobiosis, a UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech resident company that focuses on the science of regenerative medicine, demand has caused a two-year backlog of desperately needed cellular and acellular products for use in research and clinical trials directed at treating the COVID-19 virus and its complications (AKA Post-COVID Syndrome).
“There is a dearth of facilities to manufacture these tissue products. The field of regenerative medicine is sluggish. This has affected research and development, clinical trials, and the production of treatments. Many of the companies working in this area are in need of an external organization to manufacture their product,” says Dr. White.
This backlog in the manufacture of biologicals will have a huge impact on the population. Owen Carhart, co-founder and CEO of Neobiosis, explains this delayed supply will reduce research and decrease the number of clinical trials because organizations will not have reliable access to the materials they need. “Every day, science discovers new ways COVID can affect people long-term. Now, it’s not just that clinicians have to treat the virus, but all the other after-effects and symptoms that will manifest post-COVID,” Carhart says.
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