If I had to choose one word to describe 2022 - and there were quite a few on the short list - it would be unpredictable. Who could have foreseen Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the devastation caused, who could of predicted the merry go round within UK politics – 3 PMs in one year, and who predicted the financial chaos caused by ‘Trussonomics’. And despite their tag as pre-tournament favourites, did we really predict England would win the Women’s Euros. But what a great achievement by the Lionesses!
And of course, we had a change of monarch. Queen Elizabeth II had lived through many significant global changes, a constant in many of our lives, a calming voice in times of crisis, especially most recently during the Covid pandemic. Charles III certainly learnt from the best and I think that bodes well for the future.
One lasting legacy of 2022 will be the drastic rise in inflation and significant impacts on cost of living. As a result, many in society are struggling and need support. Economic forecasters predict a long, but shallow recession, and managing this through 2023 will undoubtedly be a challenge. I believe a key will be a return to a sense of stability and our government must instil this in the market and our economy, further upheaval will only exasperate the issues we are facing. Most businesses crave stability and predictability as this makes planning and investment easier, which in turn drives economic growth.
I am encouraged that there at least seems a desire to maintain a steady ship and to avoid glorified headline grabbing that typified the previous regime.
Our industry, however, is grappling with notable change after the revised Annex 1 of EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) was finally published last August. With an implementation date set of August 2023, industry experts are no doubt trying to come to terms with what is the true impact and what do they need to do differently. The pharma sector actually doesn’t like change due to their risk averse nature and the true cost of change. However, manufacturers will have to consider how they respond and implement a holistic site wide approach to contamination control and a contamination control strategy, how they tackle continuous monitoring and demonstrate their systems are suitable and robust for proving zero cfu in Grade A spaces.
I truly believe Cherwell is well placed to face the challenges ahead, not only within the wider economy but also by our customers. We have a very stable business which allows us to continue to invest in our capabilities and facilities. We have a great team and great values – Reliable, Adaptable and Partnership are foundations that shape how we go about things. That sense of partnership must not only extend to our customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders, but must also embrace our communities and the environment.
You may also have seen that I recently took part in a Reflections and Forecasts 22/23 interview with Rizwan Chaudhrey, Blogger on Life Science/ Pharma Bio-Pharma from Drug Discovery to Drug Delivery and all things in between. We've included the video of the interview and more details on what was discussed:
2022 Reflections
• Can you give me a quick overview of Cherwell Laboratories? 00:39
• One word to describe 2022 and why? 01;50
• What were some of Cherwell Laboratories key achievements in 2022? 04:40
• Looking back at 2022 what challenges did you see the sector face, and developments stood out for you? 05:29
• How have Cherwell managed customers’ expectations due to the challenges around Supply Chain issues? 08:03
• Did Andy think that dealing with the Covid19 period helped the business become more "agile"? 09:33
• When Annex 1 came out in August was it what Andy expected it to be? 11:33
• Are there any areas you think the industry could improve? 13:13
2023 Forecasts
• What are your predictions for the Life Science/Pharma/ BioPharma in 2023? 15:14
• What developments and trends do you expect to see/predict in contamination control with the new Annex One Updates? 17:49
• Where does Andy think AI and Machine learning can help in Environmental Monitoring? 24:14
• What can we expect from Cherwell Laboratories 2023? 25:52
• Finally, what last thoughts would you like to leave viewers with for 2023? 29:09
