At the PDA Annual Meeting, rapid microbial identification and analytical methods were very much in the spotlight. Such methods would allow users to identify and analyze, quickly, any bacteria present in the environment or in materials. This capability would bring the industry closer to parametric product release, and would also help prevent future "Fluvirin" manufacturing fiascos. In the cover story of February's Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine, Eli Lilly research fellow Michael Miller surveyed the scene, and the new technologies being commercialized. Quite a few companies are working in this area. Last week, a company called Acceler8 presented a paper on their technologies at a scientific meeting in Oak Ridge.
-AMS
