Ian Thompson, former Vice-President of Account and Business Development at Ypsomed, shares how Ypsomed has reshaped the market for platform-based self-injection devices. Ypsomed has expanded the platform concept beyond the device itself, developing strong partnerships with strategic networks. This approach supports pharmaceutical companies and patients in accessing safe, reliable, and user-friendly drug device combination products.
The Outsourcing Dynamics in Pharma The global pharmaceutical market reached an estimated $1.6 trillion (£1.3 trillion) in 2023, with the top 25 companies making up about half of this revenue. Biologics now represent over $500 billion, or approximately 30% of total sales, and this share is expected to grow as more self-injectable therapies are developed for oncology, neurology, and rare diseases. Additionally, there is an expanding market for autoimmune disease treatments and insulin and GLP-1-based drugs for diabetes.
Pharmaceutical companies typically spend around 15% of their revenue on research and development (R&D) and another 25% on the cost of goods. This equates to roughly $650 billion per year, with up to half of these expenditures outsourced to a variety of organisations, including contract research organisations (CROs) and contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs). Given this significant reliance on outsourcing, pharmaceutical supply chains have become increasingly global and complex, requiring robust networks that can endure unexpected disruptions.
Platform Products for Self-injection Devices: A Strategic Evolution The platform approach in injectable drug delivery devices first emerged through the use of standardised, ready-to-fill prefillable syringes for heparins and vaccines and prefilled cartridges for insulin and dental lidocaine. These advances coincided with market growth for these molecules in the 1980s and 1990s. During this period, the self-injection market developed further with devices designed specifically for insulin and human growth hormone (hGH), which needed precise dosing mechanisms for frequent injections.