I'd say 2010 was more than an interesting year in pharma manufacturing.
This issue contains a little collection of the big story topics of the year, with links to representative stories.
Each of the major story topics of 2010--recalls, FDA enforcement, job cuts, cargo theft, anti-counterfeiting--has themes that recur in the stories we've run. Follow the tracks of these themes for a hint at what's coming in 2011.
For the most part, traffic to these stories shows where your interest lies: Warning letters, consent decrees, product recalls and cargo theft are your proven favorites. In 2010 these topics had a marked increase in frequency as well as consequences, causing these bad-news stories to be the most popular on FiercePharmaManufacturing
But anti-counterfeiting is the outlier. Stories on this topic, curiously, draw little traffic, indicating little interest among readers. Yet counterfeiting meets the criteria: It's a big bad-news story with big consequences. And upcoming state and industry mandates will push fakes-fighting efforts right onto the factory floor, from the supply chain. So here's what I ponder as 2010 comes to a close: why the lack of interest? Email me to share your thoughts. - George Miller
P.S. FiercePharmaManufacturing won't be published next week as we pause to enjoy the holidays. We'll return to our regular publishing schedule on Tuesday, January 4.