New perspectives and lessons learned in the identification of impurities in drug development

•Demand for improved productivity in drug development continues to be a high priority.•Improving overall productivity requires a combination of strategies.•Moderate improvements can lead to substantial returns.•IRM is a new informatics approach offered by ACD/Labs toward managing impurity data and knowledge.

Within the pharmaceutical industry, the rapid identification, elucidation and characterization of synthetic or process impurities or degradants form an intense and a comprehensive undertaking. Advances in laboratory hardware and software are changing the way in which scientists work together to help resolve impurities in a quick and efficient manner. Although the industry trend toward externalization and outsourcing of development tasks provides a cost-effective method, the demand for improved productivity in laboratory workflows in drug development continues to be a high priority. This brings a need for new approaches for communication, collaboration and data management.