“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future,” said Yogi Berra, the former baseball player and coach who became more famous for his malapropisms than for his sports career. Berra’s right, though, that looking ahead can be challenging. But in this issue of Tablets & Capsules, we’re doing just that.
We’ve asked a number of industry professionals to identify a trend they’re seeing within their area of expertise, write about whether it is a challenge, opportunity (or both) and explain why. The subjects they take on run the gamut from finance to formulation.
I feel pretty confident that these predictions will be accurate, because they are based, not on tarot cards or crystal balls, but the experience required to see where the past has led, as well as the ability to be acutely attuned to the present. There is a natural progression from perception to prognostication
I’ll add that, based on reports I’ve read and conversations I’ve had this year, that the solid dosage growth field as a whole, remains robust. There are opportunities to be had, perhaps in adapting old excipients in new ways, as well as in finding new formulations—especially in better tailoring existing drugs with different release mechanisms. There will be some challenges in weathering industry restructuring; I expect both consolidation and vertical integration to increase, as global financial markets continue to weather challenges. And, finally, and perhaps most importantly, the lack of a clear endpoint for both COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine will continue to make forecasting the future in issues like supply chain difficult.
As Yogi Berra also said, “It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.” Unfortunately, for both COVID-19 and the war, there are no clear endpoint indicators for either.
Paul Smaglik, Editor, Tablets & Capsules