Everything was on track for the launch of three new supplements in the US market. A leading multinational pharmaceutical company had hired SFI Health Solutions as its contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO). Up to that point, every aspect of the project had gone smoothly…

✓    Consultations on which types of products would perform best in the US market

✓    Workshops with physicians and medical affairs to maximise supplement potency

✓    Multiple phases of product development to invent three high-quality supplements

However, as the Latin America-based pharmaceutical company neared the launch deadline for its vitamin-and-zinc-based products, suddenly the project came to a screeching halt.

“Their label supplier dropped the ball,” explains Matthew Brabazon, Head of Americas for SFI Health Solutions.

As Brabazon explains it, even though SFI Health Solutions offers the option of managing turnkey solutions, some supplement companies decide to handle their own label printing. The reason, according to Brabazon, is because doing so can save money as they can combine projects at larger volumes.

In this case, 80,000 labels were needed, so the pharmaceutical company planned to use its own preferred label supplier. But with the launch deadline just around the corner, the bad news came in: the label supplier was unable to meet the tight turnaround time and refused to help.

With significant revenue, its good reputation, and retail shelf space hanging in the balance, the $750 million pharmaceutical company turned to SFI Health Solutions for help.

Rapid label production

SFI Health Solutions is a global pharmaceutical and nutraceutical CDMO, specialising in natural healthcare products. With roots dating back to the early 1800s, the company offers a full range of services across product development, clinical research, bulk manufacturing, packaging, analytics, supply, and worldwide distribution.

But for all the company’s strengths, Brabazon sees agility and flexibility as its key differentiators.

“No CDMO but us would stop what they’re doing to find a solution to an 80,000 label problem,” he says. “But for us, it’s personal.”

Over the decades, as SFI Health has grown its development and manufacturing capability to include world-class facilities in Europe, North America and Australia, the company has formed strong partnerships across the global supply chain. But when the urgent need for labels came in, all it took was a call to its printer.

“It would normally take three to five weeks to print 80,000 labels,” explains Brabazon. “But we asked our printer for a favour and got the labels in less than a week.”

This rapid production timeline in itself was outstanding. But what made it even more valuable for the client was the regulatory aspect. In the US, every word on a supplement product label is subject to FDA scrutiny and therefore must be verified by a regulatory team before hitting the shelves. In most cases, CDMOs outsource this work to third parties, which can add time and cost. SFI Health Solutions handles this work in-house.

“We are a contract manufacturer offering global capabilities with our own regulatory team,” says Brabazon. “Having this capability in-house is what allowed us to review on-label claims, make the necessary changes, and get the art files to the printer in time to meet the strict deadline.”

Expanding to three new retailers

With the label problem solved, the client was able to deliver the supplements to the retailer’s distribution warehouses within the allotted time frame. In this case, it was SFI Health’s in-house regulatory capability combined with its strong partnership with the printing vendor that helped the client meet the tight turnaround time.

“This was a brand-new product launch so the last thing you want to do is miss the retail window,” says Brabazon. “We dropped everything to get the job done.”

Fast forward to today and the products have been a resounding success. Due to the high dose of the supplements – not typically found in retail stores – and the high quality of the ingredients for which SFI Health is known, demand for the products is surging. As a result, the client is now in talks with three new retailers to broaden its US distribution.

“We immensely value each and every client relationship,” says Brabazon. “So, I’m proud we were able to help make this a successful product launch.”

A customised solution

SFI Health Solutions is a great option for busy procurement managers who need a CDMO that will do whatever it takes to get the job done on time.

Whatever your pharmaceutical or nutraceutical product challenge is, no matter its scale, or time frame, SFI Health Solutions can help you design a focused and tactical solution. We can develop a formulation for private label, deliver you an all-encompassing, end-to-end strategy, or anything in between.

Visit sfihealthsolutions.com to get started.