Why hasn’t drug manufacturing been “revolutionized?”

Evangelists for continuous manufacturing — a new, more efficient way to manufacture drugs — have been claiming for years that it would transform the modern drug industry. Take former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has claimed it would lower drug prices, bring manufacturing back to the U.S., and make drugs safer. Already, there are calls for the creation of a national lab that would use continuous manufacturing to help rapidly develop coronavirus treatments.

But continuous manufacturing has been a bit of a flop among drug makers, at least so far. STAT couldn’t find even a dozen drugs that are currently made using the process. In a new story out today, I explored why the technology hasn’t taken off in quite the way its proponents predicted. More here.