Advanced Manufacturing
Innovations in advanced manufacturing support public health emergency preparedness and response. Learn more about FDA's advanced manufacturing activities.
On this page: What's new | What is advanced manufacturing? | FDA's role | Science and research | Funding opportunities | Guidance and information for industry | More information from FDA | Job openings | Additional resources | Contact FDA
What's new
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On September 12-13, 2022, FDA's India Office and the Drug Information Association (DIA) India Office will host a two-day workshop on regulatory policies, guidance, and support for the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies: DIA-USFDA-PMDA-TGA-CDSCO Advanced Manufacturing Workshop - Embracing The Future: Regulatory Considerations And Industry Perspectives On Advanced Manufacturing (virtual, 5:30 - 9:30 a.m. EDT).
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June 28, 2022: An FDA Self-Audit of Continuous Manufacturing for Drug Products (podcast and newsletter) - Continuous manufacturing (CM) technology has the potential to improve product quality and reliability, lower manufacturing costs, reduce waste, decrease inventory, and increase manufacturing flexibility and agility in response to product demand. Alternatively, is it possible that CM can also increase time to regulatory approval and market entry, hinder submission of post-approval changes, and raise inspectional scrutiny? CDER’s Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) set out to find answers by conducting a self-audit of approved U.S. regulatory submissions that employ CM vs. traditional batch processes, and analyzing regulatory outcomes during the product lifecycle and at approval.
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June 27, 2022: FDA Announces Virtual Public Meeting on Advanced Manufacturing for Animal Drugs - FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will host a virtual public meeting on the FDA’s oversight of advanced manufacturing technologies for animal drugs. The meeting will be a listening session to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share information and insight on this topic with CVM. The meeting will take place on August 11, 2022, from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT.
What is advanced manufacturing?
Advanced manufacturing is a collective term for new medical product manufacturing technologies that can improve drug quality, address shortages of medicines, and speed time-to-market. Every field has a different set of production techniques that are considered advanced. They often:
- Integrate novel technological approaches
- Use established techniques in a new or innovative way, or
- Apply production methods in a new domain where there are no defined best practices or experience.
Examples of some cross-cutting advanced manufacturing technologies include continuous manufacturing and 3D printing.
Innovations in manufacturing technology will help:
- Rapidly scale manufacturing capabilities for vaccines and other medical countermeasures (MCMs) to respond faster to emerging threats and other public health emergencies, such as pandemic influenza
- Shorten supply chains and increase manufacturing resilience to disruption by emerging threats or public health emergencies, such as natural disasters, by creating a distributed network of small manufacturing sites that can provide reserve capacity for centralized manufacturing facilities
- Accelerate therapy development for orphan diseases by improving the cost-efficiency of small-scale manufacturing processes
- Speed availability of emerging therapies by enabling manufacturing process and standards development, including for cell and gene-therapies, supporting goals of the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act)
- Provide new tools to address drug shortages and other challenges, including pharmaceutical quality
Collaborating to help facilitate next-generation influenza vaccines
Current influenza vaccine manufacturing requires about six months, which requires public health authorities to identify in advance the influenza strains likely to cause the most illness in the upcoming U.S. flu season to ensure availability of vaccine. FDA is collaborating with federal partners and with industry to improve the manufacturing of the current generation of influenza vaccines and facilitate the next generation of influenza vaccines.
Continuous manufacturing provides a quicker, more reliable way to make pharmaceuticals. FDA is helping bring this method into widespread use.
Continuous manufacturing integrates traditional step-wise manufacturing processes into a single system based on modern process monitoring and controls. In a CM process, product is made over time so a drug manufacturer can easily control the amount of products being made to match demand. These efficient, integrated continuous systems also require smaller footprints to operate.
Additive manufacturing methods, such as 3D printing, are capable of making digital 3D models into solid parts by repeatedly layering materials. These methods can be used across all medical products.
3D printing can create patient-specific medical devices such as implants, surgical guides, or anatomic models. Similarly, 3D-printed solid drug products can be made in various shapes, strengths, and distributions of active and inactive ingredients. Tissue-engineered 3D-printed constructs are also being researched to advance regenerative medicine. This approach provides a unique opportunity to produce medical products that are tailored for individual needs of patients. The capabilities and portability of 3D printing processes also enables distributed manufacturing of complex and advanced medical products in remote or austere conditions.
Unlike other medicines, biopharmaceuticals are manufactured in, extracted from, or otherwise derived from biological sources and require complex manufacturing processes. For example, there’s often more than one type of influenza virus circulating each season, so influenza vaccines are designed to target three or four influenza viruses that are most likely to circulate during the season. Since it generally takes several months for influenza vaccines to be produced, flu strains for the next season need to be selected months in advance to ensure we’re prepared with enough supply when flu season hits.
Advanced manufacturing technologies could potentially allow us to:
- Produce influenza vaccines closer to flu season, when we might have more certainty about the circulating strain
- Switch the strain more easily in the event of an unforeseen change
- Produce a new vaccine more quickly in the event of a pandemic
- More easily scale manufacturing if vaccine supplies should run short
FDA is encouraging steps to invest in advanced domestic manufacturing to ensure new and existing technologies are scalable so that manufacturers can meet domestic and global demand. For example, we’re working to facilitate development of more effective cell lines that can be better scaled through advanced manufacturing technologies, and we are looking for ways to design a more robust recombinant vaccine manufacturing process could be developed to increase yield, while reducing cost.
FDA's role
FDA is taking many steps to help realize the potential of advanced manufacturing, including:
- Issuing guidance on emerging technologies and working with medical product sponsors to clarify regulatory and data requirements necessary to support product applications using advanced manufacturing technologies - Also see Guidance for industry below
- Reviewing and approving medical products that are made with continuous manufacturing technologies (e.g., New Drug Applications and Biologics License Applications)
- Advancing regulatory science to proactively address regulatory challenges presented by advanced and continuous manufacturing technologies - Also see Science and research below
3-D printing—the process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model—is spurring innovation in manufacturing. In December 2017, FDA became the first regulator worldwide to provide a comprehensive technical framework to advise manufacturers creating medical products on 3D printers.
Also see: The 3Rs of 3D Printing: FDA's Role
Science and research
FDA supports and conducts research to further advanced manufacturing technologies, and the evaluation of products manufactured using these technologies. Ways we do this include:
The 2021: Advancing Regulatory Science at FDA: Focus Areas of Regulatory Science (FARS) report outlines topics FDA has identified as needing continued targeted investment in regulatory science research to facilitate development of innovative products, provide data and methods to inform regulatory decision-making, and improve guidance to sponsors. Advanced manufacturing is a priority area, under the focus area “Increasing Choice and Competition Through Innovation.” Please contact FARS@fda.hhs.gov with questions about this initiative.
Impact of Continuous Manufacturing Processes on the Viral Safety of Therapeutic Proteins - FDA/CDER researchers are working to ensure the safety of therapeutic proteins produced by continuous manufacturing (August 2021).
Analysis of the Advantages of and Barriers to Adoption of Smart Manufacturing for Medical Products (October 2021)
The FDA and industry each play a role in ensuring the nation has access to safe and effective medical products even during pandemics and public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need to adopt and accelerate the implementation of ways to increase critical supplies and supply chain resilience. Advanced and smart manufacturing technologies have been identified as potential ways to meet these needs..
This FDA-funded study (PDF, 2.2 MB), conducted by MxD and IAAE, aimed to increase the Agency’s understanding of factors that impact a manufacturer’s decision to invest in and adopt digital technologies by identifying both perceived and demonstrated barriers. The project team performed evaluations of nine manufacturers, interviewed representatives, collated the responses, and created a perspective that will allow the Agency to assess areas where it can foster greater manufacturing resilience. Also see: Analysis of the Advantages of and Barriers to Adoption of Smart Manufacturing for Medical Products (infographic) (PDF, 760 KB)
In-house 3D printing facilities
FDA’s Additive Manufacturing of Medical Products (AMMP) core research facility is a multi-center collaboration. It augments Center-specific resources and houses high-end, industry-grade 3D printing equipment, software, and expertise that can be used across the Agency to perform cutting-edge regulatory research with this advanced technology.
The AMMP Lab will establish a scientific foundation to assist the Agency with its assessment of advanced manufacturing, and provide the critical infrastructure FDA will need to meet the regulatory demands of the future. FDA’s in-house 3D printing facilities enable FDA scientists to develop standards and metrics for use of 3D printing for medical products; conduct research to determine how the 3D printing of drugs impacts active and inactive drug components; and identify critical quality processes and controls that affect the safety and performance of drugs and devices.
Academic programs
Many U.S. universities have established advanced manufacturing academic programs. Some of which are funded through FDA grants. For example, in August and September 2018, FDA awarded a total of eight grants, using Cures Act authorities, to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations to study and recommend improvements for the continuous manufacturing of drugs and biological products, as well as similar innovative monitoring and control techniques.
Public-private partnerships
To proactively address challenges presented by advanced and continuous manufacturing technologies, FDA representatives actively participate in ongoing public-private partnerships. These partnerships include U.S. government agencies, academia, research institutes, and industry. Examples of these partnerships include federally supported advanced development and manufacturing centers, the Manufacturing USA Institutes, and America Makes. Also see: FDA Efforts to Connect Manufacturers and Health Care Entities: The FDA, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Institutes of Health, and America Makes Form a COVID-19 response Public-Private Partnership and 3D Printing in FDA’s Rapid Response to COVID-19
The FDA continues to take creative and flexible approaches to address availability of critical medical products in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, non-traditional manufacturers and community responders have helped address shortages and gaps in medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and yielded millions of pieces of equipment and supplies, such as masks, face shields, and other 3D-printed medical devices. In September 2020, the FDA funded a study, conducted by America Makes, to summarize the impact of 3D printing on the overall COVID-19 response. The FDA has now made publicly available this report on the use of additive manufacturing by non-traditional producers in support of the U.S. COVID-19 response. The study shows successes, challenges, and key lessons learned to build on and improve future crisis response. The FDA is reviewing the report to assess gaps in the response and potential mitigations for future public health emergencies.
America Makes report links (posted July 9, 2021):
- Executive Summary: Assessing the Role of Additive Manufacturing in Support of the U.S. COVID-19 Response (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Assessing the Role of Additive Manufacturing in Support of the U.S. COVID-19 Response - An impact survey of interagency 3D Printing response efforts (PDF, 3 MB) - How did 3D printing help consumers, responders, and healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic? This report examines actions taken between February 15, 2020 – July 15, 2020.
- HHS Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (HHS-CIADM)
Since 2015, FDA has been working with BARDA to advance innovations in continuous manufacturing for BARDA-supported MCMs, including those manufactured in HHS-CIADM facilities. - DoD Medical Countermeasures Advanced Development and Manufacturing (MCM ADM)
FDA also works closely with the Department of Defense (DoD) to support priority MCM development and availability, including advanced manufacturing.
Manufacturing USA is a network of 14 regional institutes, each with a specialized technology focus. The institutes share one goal: to secure the future of manufacturing in the U.S. through innovation, collaboration, and education. Each institute is designed to be a public-private membership organization that provides vision, leadership, and resources to its members. Its goals are to enhance industrial competitiveness, increase economic growth, and strengthen U.S. national security.
FDA’s Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi) and other FDA centers and offices are actively involved in Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes (MIIs) including BioFab USA, NIIMBL, and America Makes.
BioFab USA
BioFab USA is an MII run by the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI). ARMI’s mission is to make the large-scale manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies more accessible/practical, benefiting existing industries and grow new ones.
BioFabUSA works to integrate innovative cell and tissue cultures with advances in biofabrication, automation, robotics, and analytical technologies to create disruptive research and development tools and FDA-compliant volume manufacturing processes.
National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL)
NIIMBL is a public-private partnership dedicated to advancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing innovation and workforce development, funded by a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and with additional support from industry partners. NIIMBL seeks to 1) accelerate the translation and adoption of innovations in biopharmaceutical manufacturing that will positively impact the safety, quality, rapid accessibility and secure supply of biologic medicines, 2) support the development of standards and regulatory science that will ensure consistent, high quality products, and 3) support the development of a highly-skilled workforce trained to support the biomanufacturing and regulatory community.
NIIMBL facilitates collaboration between partners from industry, academia, non-profits, and government agencies to:
- Advance innovative manufacturing technologies to bring life-saving and life-enhancing biologics products to market faster and at reduced cost,
- Establish reference standards and measurement technologies to enhance efficiencies, and
- Cultivate a world-leading biopharmaceutical workforce through novel training and education programs.
FDA and NIIMBL participate in a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) which creates a research partnership, in the pre-competitive space, to support research, development, testing and training in the field of advanced manufacturing innovations to enhance the biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem.
- Through this mechanism, FDA researchers can collaborate with NIIMBL members to respond to NIIMBL project calls with proposals initiated either within the Agency or by a NIIMBL member. Also see Funding opportunities below
- FDA researchers should refer to the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Working Group for more information on how to apply.
America Makes
America Makes is a national accelerator for additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Managed and operated by the non-profit National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), America Makes is a public-private partnership with member organizations from industry, academia, government, non-government agencies, and workforce and economic development resources working together to innovate and accelerate additive manufacturing and 3D printing to increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness.
FDA is a member of America Makes and participates in research, developing voluntary standards, and road-mapping activities to foster high quality innovation in 3D-printed medical products.
Also see:
Funding opportunities
FDA funding
FDA funds research and development to support regulatory science and innovation under the FDA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). Advanced manufacturing opportunities may be submitted in areas of interest including:
- 3.0 Support New Approaches to Improve Product Manufacturing and Quality (examples)
- 7.0 Facilitate Development and Availability of Medical Countermeasures (MCMs) to Protect Against Threats to U.S. and Global Health Security (examples)
For more detail, and information on funding deadlines for the current fiscal year, see Extramural Research.
FDA funding updates
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October 7, 2021: CDER recently awarded five new extramural research projects totaling over $11 million in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing areas. The results produced from the extramural research projects are instrumental to the success of CDER initiatives, programs and activities in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing. These results will be used to evaluate regulatory submissions incorporating advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing (e.g., development of regulatory recommendations for the industry to guide its product and technology development under CDER Emerging Technology Program), provide knowledge necessary to inform new standards, guidances and policies, develop new tools for more effective surveillance of product quality, and develop materials for training of FDA staff in advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing.
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Integrated toolbox for digital design, scale-up, control and optimization of advanced API manufacturing processes – Rutgers University
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Application of smart data analytics for biomanufacturing – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Controlled protein capture via continuous crystallization and precipitation for monoclonal antibody manufacturing - – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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Assessment tools for surveillance and monitoring of real-world data systems and processes to ensure product quality – Purdue University
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Economics and Risks Associated with FDA’s Quality Management Maturity (QMM) Program – University of Maryland
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October 1, 2021: FDA's Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats (OCET) collaborated with the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) to award a contract to Siemens Government Technologies (SGT) to implement advanced industrial software for digital design and an automated manufacturing production demonstration line for regulatory science use in the FDA OCET advanced manufacturing program. The digital showcase will help facilitate evaluation, education, and industry adoption of smart design and manufacturing processes, which can improve performance, speed regulatory review, reduce supply shortages, and increase supply chain resilience in the life sciences industry.
“The FDA is focused on developing standards, metrics, and data needs for the use of advanced digital design and manufacturing technologies,” said FDA Chief Scientist RADM Denise Hinton. “Furthering the adoption of these new technologies can help increase U.S. manufacturing capacity, increase supply chain resilience, and decrease time to market for medical diagnostics, therapies, and vaccines that are needed for public health emergency response.”
- September 29, 2021: CBER has funded new FY21 grants to enhance innovations in advanced manufacturing technologies for vaccines against influenza and emerging infectious diseases (four grants), and to support vector manufacturing for diseases affecting very small populations (five grants).
Other funding
- BARDA’s DRIVe program to revolutionize the way we prevent, detect, and respond to major 21st century health security threats with several focus areas
- Manufacturing USA funding opportunities
- BioFab USA project calls
- NIIMBL project calls
- America Makes opportunities (challenges, RFPs, etc.)
Guidance and information for industry
Recently updated guidance documents specific to advanced manufacturing include:
- October 2021: FDA announced the availability of a draft ICH guidance for industry titled Q13 Continuous Manufacturing of Drug Substances and Drug Products. The guidance, which was prepared under the support of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), describes scientific and regulatory considerations for the development, implementation, and operation of continuous manufacturing. Submit comments by December 13, 2021.
- June 2019: FDA has reopened the comment period for the draft guidance Quality Considerations for Continuous Manufacturing.
- February 2019: Draft guidance - Quality Considerations for Continuous Manufacturing, to clarify the FDA’s current thinking regarding innovative CM approaches and can help resolve potential issues some companies have as they consider implementation. Also see: Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on FDA’s modern approach to advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing
- December 2017: Technical Considerations for Additive Manufactured Medical Devices (on 3D printing)
- September 2017: Advancement of Emerging Technology Applications for Pharmaceutical Innovation and Modernization
Search the complete list of FDA guidance
An August 2020 executive order directed FDA, in consultation with federal partners, to identify a list of essential medicines, medical countermeasures and critical inputs that are medically necessary to have available at all times in an amount adequate to serve patient needs and in the appropriate dosage forms.
The executive order also directs the FDA to coordinate with our federal partners on a number of additional issues, including strategies for acquiring the products on the list, accelerating domestic manufacturing and identifying and addressing supply chain vulnerabilities. The FDA is working on this coordination. The FDA believes that the adoption of innovative technologies, such as advanced manufacturing techniques could enable U.S.-based pharmaceutical manufacturing to bolster its competitiveness with foreign countries and help ensure a stable supply of drugs critical to the health of U.S. patients. As companies look to increase domestic manufacturing of the products on this list, we encourage them to consider adopting advanced manufacturing technologies.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments on the public docket.
More information from FDA
Emerging Technology Program
FDA established an Emerging Technology Program in 2014 that works collaboratively with companies to support the adoption and use of advanced manufacturing for both new and existing drugs. The team assists companies that want to implement innovative technology, including continuous manufacturing, by helping them to identify and resolve potential scientific and regulatory challenges and providing guidance to their technology development and implementation.
FDA’s Emerging Technology Program is intended to encourage technology for use in product design and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Video transcript
CBER Advanced Technologies Program
In 2019, the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) established the CBER Advanced Technologies Team (CATT) to promote dialogue, education, and input among CBER staff and between CBER and prospective innovators/developers of advanced manufacturing technologies that are intended to be implemented in CBER-regulated products.
3D printing of medical devices
3D printing is a type of additive manufacturing. There are several types of additive manufacturing, but the terms 3D printing and additive manufacturing are often used interchangeably. Here we will refer to both as 3D printing for simplicity.
3D printing is a process that creates a three-dimensional object by building successive layers of raw material. Each new layer is attached to the previous one until the object is complete. Objects are produced from a digital 3D file, such as a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing or a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI).
The flexibility of 3D printing allows designers to make changes easily without the need to set up additional equipment or tools. It also enables manufacturers to create devices matched to a patient’s anatomy (patient-specific devices) or devices with very complex internal structures. These capabilities have sparked huge interest in 3D printing of medical devices and other products, including food, household items, and automotive parts.
Medical devices produced by 3D printing include orthopedic and cranial implants, surgical instruments, dental restorations such as crowns, and external prosthetics.
Discussion paper: 3D printing for medical devices at the point of care
On December 10, 2021, FDA posted a discussion paper on 3D Printing Medical Devices at the Point of Care (PoC). The discussion paper provides background information on 3D printing and potential PoC manufacturing scenarios for public comment. The discussion paper does not constitute guidance; instead, its purpose is to gather feedback from the public to inform future policy development. The discussion paper:
- Provides relevant background, including terminology, brief overview of the FDA regulation of devices and 3D printing, and how capabilities at a 3D printing facility factor into device safety and effectiveness.
- Identifies challenges presented by 3D printed medical devices at the PoC and presents a potential approach for regulatory oversight under various scenarios to inform future policy development.
- Poses questions to facilitate public comment.
FDA is seeking input on each of these topics and on 16 questions posed in the discussion paper. This discussion paper will be open for public comment for 60 days at: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FDA-2021-N-1272. Also see: FDA In Brief: FDA Publishes Discussion Paper and Seeks Public Input on 3D Printing of Medical Devices at the Point of Care
3D printing links
- CDER Researchers Explore the Promise and Potential of 3D Printed Pharmaceuticals
- Medical Applications of 3D Printing
- Process of 3D Printing Medical Devices
- 3D Printing in FDA’s Rapid Response to COVID-19
- 3D Printing of Medical Devices, Accessories, Components, and Parts During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Other related links
- Modernizing the Way Drugs Are Made: A Transition to Continuous Manufacturing
- Impact Story: Regulatory Science is Strengthening U.S. Drug Product Manufacturing
- FDA 2018 Strategic Policy Roadmap
Job openings
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July 12, 2022: Apply to join the Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats (OCET) Advanced Manufacturing team, to help advance public health emergency preparedness and patient access to medical products through development of tools and approaches to enhance the evaluation of advanced manufacturing technologies and facilitate their adoption by regulated industries. Apply by August 1, 2022. For more information see the Staff Fellow job announcements:
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OCET Research Engineer (PDF, 159 KB) (General Engineer)
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OCET Research Scientist (PDF, 146 KB) (General Health and Medical Sciences)
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Press, statements, and publications
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June 28, 2022: An FDA Self-Audit of Continuous Manufacturing for Drug Products (podcast and newsletter) - Continuous manufacturing (CM) technology has the potential to improve product quality and reliability, lower manufacturing costs, reduce waste, decrease inventory, and increase manufacturing flexibility and agility in response to product demand. Alternatively, is it possible that CM can also increase time to regulatory approval and market entry, hinder submission of post-approval changes, and raise inspectional scrutiny? CDER’s Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) set out to find answers by conducting a self-audit of approved U.S. regulatory submissions that employ CM vs. traditional batch processes, and analyzing regulatory outcomes during the product lifecycle and at approval.
- February 23, 2022: FDA's CDER Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) published its 2021 Annual Report (PDF, 3.6 MB), including an update on the Emerging Technology Program.
- December 10, 2021: FDA In Brief: FDA Publishes Discussion Paper and Seeks Public Input on 3D Printing of Medical Devices at the Point of Care - FDA published a discussion paper regarding 3D printing medical devices at the point of care (PoC), such as hospitals and doctor’s offices.
- November 10, 2021: Trust in the Time of Covid-19: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing (3DP/AM) as a Solution to Supply Chain Gaps - FDA and partners published a commentary in NEJM Catalyst Innovations in Care Delivery on how a public-private collaboration, Covid 3D TRUST, has helped to address critical supply shortages by empowering designers, manufacturers, and users of 3D-printed personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- October 13, 2021: FDA’s Advanced Manufacturing Initiatives Helping to Provide Quality Human Drugs for Patients - FDA has long recognized the importance of advanced manufacturing. The FDA has received significant funding from Congress for advanced manufacturing-related projects, and we continue to work with manufacturers looking to implement these new technologies to benefit even more patients. To do so, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) has established numerous initiatives, including the development of a research program to better understand the science of advanced manufacturing. To date, this program has fueled nearly 60 research projects, including many collaborations with experts in the field. Read more: FDA Voices
- August 20, 2021: Impact of Continuous Manufacturing Processes on the Viral Safety of Therapeutic Proteins - FDA/CDER researchers are working to ensure the safety of therapeutic proteins produced by continuous manufacturing.
- January 15, 2021: Accelerating the Adoption of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies to Strengthen Our Public Health Infrastructure - FDA is creating a new collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through a memorandum of understanding (MOU). This MOU is intended to increase U.S. medical supply chain resilience and advanced domestic manufacturing of drugs, biological products and medical devices through adoption of 21st century manufacturing technologies. These include smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and emerging manufacturing processes. The MOU signals alignment between senior leadership at both institutions in recognition of the importance of modernizing regulatory frameworks as well as industry practices to meet public health needs in the U.S.
- December 15, 2020: FDA Insight podcast: Advanced Manufacturing - Dr. Jeffrey C. Baker, Deputy Director of the FDA’s Office of Biotechnology Products in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, joins Dr. Shah for a discussion on how FDA’s efforts help innovation and implementation of Advanced Manufacturing technologies regarding food and drug safety.
- October 30, 2020: FDA Publishes List of Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, Critical Inputs Required by Executive Order - An August 2020 executive order directed FDA, in consultation with federal partners, to identify a list of essential medicines, medical countermeasures and critical inputs that are medically necessary to have available at all times in an amount adequate to serve patient needs and in the appropriate dosage forms. The executive order also directs the FDA to coordinate with our federal partners on a number of additional issues, including strategies for acquiring the products on the list, accelerating domestic manufacturing, and identifying and addressing supply chain vulnerabilities.
- August 3, 2020: Investing in Advanced Manufacturing to Support Public Health Preparedness - The potential public health value of advanced manufacturing is even greater in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the strain on supply chains and the need for adaptive manufacturing systems to accelerate the production of medical countermeasures. The FDA has established a strong regulatory foundation to support the uptake of advanced manufacturing, and COVID-19 provides the unique impetus to spur further advancement of medical manufacturing.
- June 19, 2020: 3D Printing in FDA’s Rapid Response to COVID-19 - FDA published a new web page, with updates on activities performed under the FDA, NIH, and VA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in collaboration with America Makes, signed in March 2020.
- January 14, 2020: Mind the Gap: Bridging the ‘Valley of Death’ for U.S. Biomanufacturing, a blog post from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), includes information about FDA collaborations to help innovate U.S. biomanufacturing.
- October 30, 2019: Janet Woodcock, MD, Director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, on Safeguarding Pharmaceutical Supply Chains in a Global Economy. Dr. Woodcock's statement includes information about advanced manufacturing, including medical countermeasure manufacturing, and implications for national security.
- July 31, 2019: NIIMBL and FDA Sign Agreement to Support Innovation in Biopharma Manufacturing - The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) announced that the University of Delaware, on behalf of NIIMBL, has entered into a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the FDA. Effective July 15, 2019, the FDA and NIIMBL will have the ability to collaborate in a pre-competitive environment to strengthen research, innovation, training, and collaboration in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
- March 19, 2019: Nondestructive Analytics for Biologics and Continuous Biomanufacturing lecture recording, presented by Bruce Yu, PhD, Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Bio- and Nano-Technology Center, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy - In this CERSI lecture, Dr. Yu provided background on a nondestructive analytical technology, Water proton NMR (wNMR), discussed examples of applying wNMR to inspect FDA-approved biologics (vaccines, vaccine adjuvants, and a therapeutic protein) and a non-biologic complex drug (Ferrlecit), and described how wNMR can be used to improve continuous biomanufacturing.
- February 28, 2019: FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Office of Pharmaceutical Quality (OPQ) published its 2018 annual report (PDF, 5.3 MB). Among other innovations, in 2018, FDA approved two New Drug Applications (NDAs) based on continuous manufacturing. This type of manufacturing eliminates breaks between steps during the process of making a drug. Among other things, this reduces opportunities for human errors during the stops and starts in a process.
- February 26, 2019: Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on FDA’s modern approach to advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing (FDA news release) One of today’s most important tools for modernizing the pharmaceutical industry is a process known as continuous manufacturing. This approach transforms the traditional, step-wise manufacturing processes into a single system that’s based on modern process monitoring and controls. It enables a steady output of finished drug products as raw materials are continuously added to the closed system. Today, we’re taking new steps to help advance the adoption of these manufacturing innovations.
- February 13, 2019: Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. on new programs to promote the adoption of innovations in drug manufacturing that can improve quality and lower drug costs (FDA news release)
- September 20, 2018: FDA awards grants to foster innovation for advanced manufacturing technology as part of the agency’s efforts to ensure a robust and reliable supply of biological products (FDA in Brief)
- August 1, 2018: FDA supports critical research to spur innovation for continuous manufacturing technology to support and advance drug and biologics development (FDA in Brief, on grants awarded)
- July 13, 2018: FDA Budget Matters: Investing in Advanced Domestic Manufacturing (FDA Voices, by Scott Gottlieb, M.D.)
- December 4, 2017: Statement by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on FDA ushering in new era of 3D printing of medical products; provides guidance to manufacturers of medical devices
- September 28, 2017: FDA issues guidance to help advance novel technology to improve the reliability and safety and help lower the cost of pharmaceutical manufacturing (FDA in Brief)
- September 11, 2017: “Continuous Manufacturing” – Common Guiding Principles Can Help Ensure Progress (FDA Voice blog – ARCHIVED)
Events
- September 12-13, 2022: DIA-USFDA-PMDA-TGA-CDSCO Advanced Manufacturing Workshop (virtual, 5:30 - 9:30 a.m. EDT) - Embracing The Future: Regulatory Considerations And Industry Perspectives On Advanced Manufacturing - FDA's India Office and the Drug Information Association (DIA) India Office will host a two-day workshop on regulatory policies, guidance, and support for the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.
- August 11, 2022: 2022 FDA CVM Advanced Manufacturing Public Meeting, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT - FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will host a virtual public meeting on the FDA’s oversight of advanced manufacturing technologies for animal drugs. The meeting will be a listening session to provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share information and insight on this topic with CVM. Learn more: FDA Announces Virtual Public Meeting on Advanced Manufacturing for Animal Drugs
- March 16-17, 2022: Virtual Public Workshop - 3D Printing in Hospitals: Veteran’s Health Administration’s Experiences in Point of Care 3D Printing of Device and Implementing a Quality Management System, 12:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET both days - FDA is announcing a virtual public workshop in collaboration with the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) to share VHA’s experiences using 3D printing/additive manufacturing in their hospitals. The workshop is also intended to provide a forum for VHA and other stakeholders to present and discuss their experience that could be useful for health care facilities considering 3D printing medical devices. To attend, register by March 14, 2022.
- May 15, 2020: Virtual Town Hall - 3D Printed Swabs, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET - will host a virtual Town Hall for researchers, clinical laboratories, and commercial manufacturers to discuss the production and use of 3D printed swabs during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This is a collaboration between the FDA, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Innovation Ecosystem, and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) 3D Print Exchange.
- March 12, 2020: Modernization of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing through the Adoption of Advanced Technology (Silver Spring, MD and webcast)- Hosted by FDA, this presentation will provide an overview of advanced manufacturing technologies and methodologies, and discuss the many steps the FDA is taking to help realize the potential of advanced manufacturing, and highlight success stories of successful implementation of advanced manufacturing which holds great potential for improving the quality assurance of drugs.
- March 19, 2019: Nondestructive Analytics for Biologics and Continuous Biomanufacturing lecture recording, presented by Bruce Yu, PhD, Professor, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Bio- and Nano-Technology Center, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy - In this CERSI lecture, Dr. Yu provided background on a nondestructive analytical technology, Water proton NMR (wNMR), discussed examples of applying wNMR to inspect FDA-approved biologics (vaccines, vaccine adjuvants, and a therapeutic protein) and a non-biologic complex drug (Ferrlecit), and described how wNMR can be used to improve continuous biomanufacturing.
- March 12, 2020: Modernization of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing through the Adoption of Advanced Technology (Silver Spring, MD and webcast)- Hosted by FDA, this presentation will provide an overview of these advanced manufacturing technologies methodologies, discuss the many steps the FDA is taking to help realize the potential of advanced manufacturing, and highlight success stories of successful implementation of advanced manufacturing which holds great potential for improving the quality assurance of drugs.
- October 10, 2018: Manufacturing USA: Securing U.S. Global Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing, hosted by the House and Senate Manufacturing Caucus, and sponsored by American Society for Mechanical Engineers
- July 30-31, 2018: Continuous Manufacturing for the Modernization of Pharmaceutical Production, co-hosted by FDA and BARDA, with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, to discuss the business and regulatory concerns associated with adopting continuous manufacturing techniques to produce biologics (e.g., enzymes, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines) and discuss specific challenges for process integration across the manufacturing system
Additional resources
- Strategy for American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing (PDF, 1 MB), a report by the Subcommittee on Advanced Manufacturing, Committee on Technology of the National Science & Technology Council, White House (October 2018)
- Regulatory Perspectives on Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: Moving From Theory to Practice: September 26-27, 2016, International Symposium on the Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals - white papers in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States (PDF, 5.2 MB), September 2018, published by the Interagency Task Force in Fulfillment of Executive Order 13806 – Also see: Deputy Secretary of Defense delivers Defense Industrial Base Report to President Trump and President Donald J. Trump Is Taking Important Measures to Strengthen Our Defense Industrial Base
- Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- NIH 3D Print Exchange - offers a unique set of models, learning resources and tutorials to create and share 3D-printable models related to biomedical science
- How 3D Printers Work (video, 39 seconds, from the Department of Energy)
- National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing notice by the Science and Technology Policy Office, February 2018
- Achieving Continuous Manufacturing May 20–21 2014 Continuous Manufacturing Symposium, white papers in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act (2014) - This bill was signed into law as Title VII of Division B of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235) (PDF, 1.9 MB)
Contact FDA
Consumers and general information
Call 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332), or contact the FDA center or office related to your inquiry.
Press
Office of Media Affairs: Email fdaoma@fda.hhs.gov or call 301-796-4540
Industry
- For questions related to medical countermeasures, contact AskMCMi@fda.hhs.gov.
- For questions related to biologics, see Manufacturers Assistance and Technical Training Branch (MATTB).
- For questions related to devices, see Device Advice: Comprehensive Regulatory Assistance.
- For questions related to drugs, contact CDER-ETT@fda.hhs.gov.