Streamline Therapeutic Development By Overcoming Single-Use Customization Misconceptions

By Gregg Johnson and Evan Hagen, Charter Medical

Contrary to popular belief, custom single-use solutions aren’t always complex, costly, and disruptive. While standard solutions may seem easy and guaranteed to work in any situation, they often create challenges in manufacturing workflows. For example, standard connectors, tubing, or other components can cause compromised sterility and labor-intensive operator procedures.

Still, therapeutic developers often default to using standard single-use solutions based on industry-wide misconceptions about the complexity, costs, supply risks, and lead times of custom solutions. In some cases, developers adopt standard products simply because they are unaware of customization options. Not only do custom single-use options exist for many applications, but they can be both straightforward and cost-effective.

Still, not every project is simple: in some cases, new tooling may be created if a new bag size, port configuration, or new injection molded component is required. Knowledgeable custom solutions providers can span the range of complexity to create a design that can suit almost any need.

Moreover, while volume is an essential part of initial discussions with any vendor, single-use partners can maintain fiscal viability at lower product volumes when recognizing that clinical successes sustain a healthy custom single-use service program. And, in some instances, there is no difference in lead times between standard and custom products from design through delivery.