Innovation in generic IV pharmaceuticals

Helping advance access to essential hospital medicines

Innovation in generic injectable pharmaceuticals focuses on improving medicine access, delivery, safety, manufacturing capacity, and supply reliability. We develop and launch new formulations, drug combinations, improved dosing and simplified packaging that support access to essential hospital IV medicines.

Medicine is always changing, but the need for essential medicines to treat hospital patients is constant. With hospitals already under strain and the WHO projecting a global shortage of 11 million healthcare workers by 2030,1 healthcare environments require more solutions that are designed to support efficiency, accuracy and ease of use.

That is why innovation in generic medicines extends beyond product launches. We focus our development efforts on medicines that are easier for overstretched healthcare professionals to deliver safely. Changes to existing generics that simplify medication preparation – such as ready-to-administer formulations – have been shown to reduce preparation time, lower medication error risk, improve workflow efficiency and enable healthcare professionals to devote more time to direct patient care.2,3

Person wearing protective clothing, safety glasses, a face mask and purple gloves handling a container beside production equipment

Ready-to-use IV medicines 
help reduce mistakes, save time and limit wasted medicine4

100+ 
active generic drug development projects5

Developing generic IV medicines

We develop infusion medicines in formulations and formats that support healthcare professionals by helping reduce preparation steps and standardize medication administration. Collaborating with healthcare professionals helps us understand what innovations will simplify their daily work. We continuously launch new products and focus our development efforts on:

  • New formulations, including premix formulations, ready-to-use products and shelf-stable options
  • Combination therapies combining multiple medicines into one infusion
  • New dosage forms for more precise medicine dosing
  • Improved packaging that better suits patient and provider needs and improve inventory management

How innovation can support hospitals

New formulations truly add value, with impact throughout hospitals. Replacing a refrigerated product with a shelf-stable version, for example, can result in simplified storage, more flexible inventory management, streamlined supply logistics by reducing cold-chain shipping, and more predictable access to critical medicines, supported by simplified production and supply.

Innovation supporting medication safety and operational efficiency extends to medicine packaging. We are working to incorporate digital technology like data matrix barcodes into our packaging. Scannable barcodes simplify hospital workflows, improve inventory management, support medication traceability, and reduce manual data-entry requirements, ultimately helping avoid errors.

Healthcare professional examining medical products in a refrigerated storage unit.

FAQ

It means improving generic injectable medicines through new formulations, dosage forms, packaging, manufacturing approaches, or delivery formats that support hospital use.

Ready-to-use IV medicines can help reduce preparation steps and support more standardized medication administration in hospital workflows. They also help decrease medication errors, improve workflow and operational efficiency, thereby improving patient safety, and increasing cost effectiveness.

Shelf-stable formulations can simplify storage, support more flexible inventory management, and reduce dependence on cold-chain shipping.

References

1. World Health Organization. Consolidated report by the Director-General. A78/4. Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. Published May 13, 2025. Available at: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_4-en.pdf.

2. Al-Rawi S, Greening M, Ladds S. Economic evidence for licensed ready-to-administer intravenous products compared with standard vials and ampoules: a systematic review. Anaesthesia. 2026;81(6):867-874. doi:10.1111/anae.70122. Available at: https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anae.70122.

3. McDowell SE, Mt-Isa S, Ashby D, Ferner RE. Where errors occur in the preparation and administration of intravenous medicines: a systematic review and Bayesian analysis. Qual Saf Health Care. 2010;19(4):341-345. doi:10.1136/qshc.2008.029785.

4. Al-Rawi S, Greening M, Ladds S. Economic evidence for licensed ready-to-administer intravenous products compared with standard vials and ampoules: a systematic review. Anaesthesia. 2026;81(6):867-874. doi:10.1111/anae.70122. https://associationofanaesthetists-publications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/anae.70122

5. Fresenius Annual Report 2025. Available: https://report.fresenius.com/2025/annual-report/sustainability-statement/social-information/s-innovation.html