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Frequently Asked Questions

How can AR be used in Pharma?

You might know that some cars have “heads-up-displays”. These so called “Augmented Reality” solutions are combining digital information with the real world to better support the driver. We use the very same solution for example to guide operators through the steps of their daily work. This is how it works: Let’s take a manufacturing line in pharma that produces medication against headaches. It is really, really important that there are no leftovers from the previous, maybe different product on the manufacturing line to prevent ingredients from the other product to slip into your headache pills. We definitely don’t want that to happen and need to be very careful!! With these augmented reality glasses, the operator can now exactly see which steps are required to clean the line when he or she is standing right in front of it. The operator can also review instructions on site on the glasses if needed. This can be text, pictures, or even video instructions. And when two people are working together on the same line, the augmented reality tool will help them to do everything as instructed and stay on track with all the manufacturing steps. As I mentioned, a ‘pharma heads-up display’ – pretty cool, right? And all for safe medication.

What ist Pharma 4.0?

Let us talk about ‘Pharma 4.0’ Yes, it is 4.0, not 1, 2, or 3 – as 4.0 means “the future” of pharma. Pharma 4.0 means combining new technologies and new ways of working in pharma. Pharma 4.0 is also about organization, culture, and people. They are all part of Pharma 4.0 and everything is connected. Together they create an environment where new technology is embraced. Today there are still a lot of pharmaceutical sites where the systems and machines are not connected to each other. Every piece is working on its own. Its data is stored just where it is most easy and practical for this one machine or this one system. In Pharma 4.0, these systems now interact – they talk to each other! Just imagine this scenario: One system says – “hey, I’m running out of material in half an hour”. Now another system jumps in and orders more material, and a second one alerts an operator to have an eye on the process and expect a pallet to arrive. At the same time, a note on the management dashboard about new inventory level pops-up – fully automated. This is all part of the magic of Pharma 4.0, which supports the efficient and safe manufacturing of drugs. It is an important field of interest for us now and also in the future to make pharma production for our customers as safe, efficient and convenient as possible.

What is MES?

Manufacturing Execution Systems, short MES, are important software systems guiding the operators in pharmaceutical manufacturing plants through their daily work. The MES provides the so called recipe to produce a drug. In easy terms, we can compare this process to cooking great spaghetti according to a real Italian recipe at home. Taking aside the great precision, hygiene and safety rules we need to follow in pharma. In pharma, the recipe comes with exact instructions for the operator. To stay with the example of pasta cooking: Which ingredients are required? Pasta, herbs, tomatoes. In which quantity? 1 kg of pasta How long cook and how fast to stir? 8 minutes al dente, every other minute Which temperature is needed? Boiling water And so on. To ensure great pasta you better stick to the recipe. Even more importantly in pharma for great medication! Pharma manufacturing has to stick 100% exactly to the instructions. And: all of the actions and results have to be documented during the process. All this is ensured by an MES. Only this strict adherence to the recipe ensures that the final outcome is produced safely in the expected quality – and will help all of us to stay, or become, healthy By the way – we have the marketing leading MES in our portfolio! Click here to learn more about PAS-X MES.

What is validation?

Let’s talk validation! Imagine you have a serious flu or headache and your doctor prescribes medication. In this case you clearly expect the pills to contain just what they need to contain. I can assure you, there are many safety actions, measurements, and processes in place to guarantee a clean, high quality and standardized product. One very important part is the so called “Validation”! Validation means, that we take a close look at all the systems that are being used to produce the medication, for example the system which contains the recipe, and make sure they do exactly what they are supposed to do. How do we get there: we describe what the system needs to do, “if I press this button on the screen, the speed should increase”, and then we test the system over and over. Does it work if the operator is wearing gloves – or a special suit. Does it work if the lights are switched out in the room )? Does it still work if I already changed the speed 10 seconds before ...? And so on. Not always easy, so we better test everything upfront….! The same holds true for machines – here it is called machine or equipment qualification. With the same principle: you describe what the machine needs to do, and then you test the machine accordingly. Does it work at a certain speed? Does it work at certain temperature or humidity? and so on… And only if all are sure, and after having documented that everything is working as expected – a proven evidence -, the proper use of the systems, the equipment, or the machines to manufacture drugs which will help all of us – recall the flu or headache.