How SAP Helps Cell and Gene Therapy Companies Deliver Their Full Potential
Cell and gene therapy could transform survival and cure rates for some of the most serious illnesses known to humanity. The process of extracting, modifying, and returning cells or genetic material offers a radical and potentially highly effective advance in the way these illnesses are treated.
As a September 2022 Technology Networks article highlights, cell and gene therapy is already delivering life-changing outcomes for seriously ill patients, while technology advances continue to broaden their applicability.
For now, however, these therapies remain a relatively small part of the broader commercial pharmacological sector. As they mature, focus will need to broaden from the therapies themselves to encompass how they are delivered at scale.
The therapy delivery lifecycle, from initial patient presentation to treatment, is a key part of this bigger picture and already demands attention. This blog considers that lifecycle, and how the proven capabilities of SAP logistics management software can deliver a cost-effective, efficient, and scalable management solution.
LOGISTICS AND CELL AND GENE THERAPIES
The delivery lifecycle for cell and gene therapy broadly consists of these steps
A patient presents as a potential candidate for the therapy
Tests are conducted to establish suitability and ability to tolerate the treatment
If suitable, the required genetic or cellular starting material is extracted via apheresis or other means
Starting material is sent to the manufacturer
The manufacturer processes the starting material to produce the therapy
The therapy is administered to the patient
Throughout this lifecycle, it is imperative that
The chain of identity and the chain of custody are maintained.
Scheduling is coordinated so that the patient, materials, and resources are in exactly the right place at the right time for each stage.
All stakeholders have appropriate visibility and control based on their role in the process – clinicians, manufacturers, couriers, coordinators, finance, and the patient.
Each step is planned and executed in the most effective and efficient way possible.
Testing, manufacturing, and administering the therapy is a complex process. In many cases, the patients receiving the treatment are often gravely ill, so they and the clinicians involved are heavily invested in delivering successful outcomes.
These critically important factors should not detract from a recognition that a large part of the process is about logistics - coordinating and tracking resources and materials through a series of processes across the value chain to deliver the required result consistently and efficiently and with full visibility throughout.
HOW CAN SAP HELP?
Businesses have been using SAP to manage their complex business processes for years. The platform is continually evolving to meet new business needs and challenges, from production to distribution to accounting and more.
SAP’s potential to support the cell and gene therapy lifecycle may not be immediately obvious. As a therapy moves from R&D to commercialization, there can be a tendency for its complexity, specialized nature, and relative novelty to obscure the fact it is underpinned by precisely the kind of logistics process SAP is designed to manage and optimize.
Therapy providers may end up using multiple generic software tools with manual 'swivel chair interface' interventions, or acquiring point solutions to run the process, sometimes in cases where SAP is already used in other parts of the business.
Leveraging the SAP platform to support cell and gene therapy delivers multiple benefits:
Rigorous chain of identity and chain of custody is baked into SAP logistics processes to support autologous therapies as well as allogeneic cell therapies and gene therapies
It manages scheduling and coordination of resources across the network of involved partners with a high level of automation
It provides full visibility of the process to all stakeholders throughout the lifecycle
It is scalable up to a large enterprise level, enabling it to grow with the business
Functionality can be expanded as needed to deliver capabilities, such as intelligent analytics and advanced reporting
Businesses with existing SAP estates don’t pay twice to cover their cell and gene therapy processes
SAP is an extensively tested and proven logistics solution
SAP FOR CELL AND GENE THERAPY
SAP provides an option for businesses to help contribute to the cell and gene therapies that have the promise to transform humanity’s capability to tackle some of its most feared and deadly diseases.
To learn more about SAP for cell and gene therapy, reach out to our team today.