FRANKLY FRAN

  • Drug Delivery Innovation: Getting Advanced Therapies To Patients
    11/3/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio recounts the evolution of drug delivery technologies as she underscores the need to innovate in the delivery of advanced therapies. Considering chronic diseases, rare diseases, and difficult-to-reach therapeutic targets, Fran offers suggestions for organizing and readying for the development and delivery of platforms, systems, and devices for next generation treatments, including personalized, precision medicines.

  • Drug Delivery Product Strategy: Aligning The Organization For Execution
    10/1/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio offers recommendations to biopharmaceutical sponsor companies about best practices for aligning strategic product initiatives with functional area execution. She outlines 5 key considerations, illustrated with the increasingly common market strategy expansion from drug product development to drug-device combination product delivery.

  • 7 Management Strategies For Combination Product Regulatory Success
    9/2/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio lays out best practices for biopharma executive leadership and non-technical managers to sustain regulatory momentum for their combination product development and commercialization. Fran points to cross-functional collaboration, quality management systems, regulatory documentation, and post-market surveillance as keys to drug delivery product success. 

  • Understanding Annex 1 For Sterile Medicinal Products
    8/4/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio outlines concepts from the EU Annex 1 guidance for sterile medicinal products. She highlights key considerations for the manufacturing of sterile products and offers recommendations for contamination control, facilities upgrades, quality risk management, testing, inspections, and personnel training. 

  • Drug Delivery Innovation: If You Build It, Will Anyone Care?
    7/1/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio explains why innovation in drug delivery technologies may not need to be revolutionary, but will no doubt need patient adoption, payor support, and regulatory follow-on to become sticky in the marketplace. 

  • 3 Lesser Known Keys To Effective Biopharma Supplier Engagement
    6/4/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio lays out ways for biopharma companies developing and commercializing combination products and other drug delivery devices to ensure that their product requirements and related documentation needs are well met by suppliers of materials, devices, components, and services. 

  • Design Controls For Drug Delivery Devices, Part 2: A Practical Perspective
    5/1/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio provides recommendations for implementing Design Controls in the development of combination products and other drug delivery devices. In outlining tips for drug-device product developers, Fran focuses on key considerations including risk management, chemical and functional compatibility, and regulatory compliance.

  • Design Controls For Drug Delivery Devices, Part 1: A Process Primer
    4/1/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio underscores the importance of design controls in the development of combination products and other drug delivery devices. She explains foundational concepts and fundamental steps including design inputs and outputs, design verification and validation, design review, and change controls. 

  • Subcutaneous Self-Administration: 3 Key Market Drivers, 3 Key Delivery Challenges
    3/4/2025

    In this article, Fran DeGrazio comments on the potential for subcutaneous delivery of drugs and biologics to advance and ease approaches to patient self-administration. Among the drivers and challenges she identifies are geriatric populations, chronic conditions, complex formulations, and drug delivery device selection.

  • Use-Related Risk Analysis: Considering The FDA Guidance On URRA
    2/5/2025

    The FDA draft guidance on Use-Related Risk Analysis (URRA) announced in July 2024 helpfully clarified key considerations regarding the identification and mitigation of potential hazards in biopharmaceutical product use. In this article, Fran DeGrazio comments on the guidance in a follow-up to a Drug Delivery Live! online event she moderated on the topic of URRA. 

Fran DeGrazio Headshot

Fran DeGrazio

Drug Delivery Leader executive editor Fran DeGrazio has 35+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical packaging and delivery industry. Fran offers extensive expertise in sterile drug product systems, including vial container closure systems and prefillable systems for combination products. Currently Fran is also President & Principal Consultant for Strategic Parenteral Solutions LLC., where she advises executives in the biopharma industry on strategy, growth, technical, and regulatory opportunities.

Fran previously held numerous strategic & technical roles at West Pharmaceutical Services, including R&D, quality & regulatory, technical customer support, analytical laboratories, marketing and scientific affairs. Her final role prior to retiring from West was as Chief Scientific Officer.

Fran frequently applies her knowledge to educating and building awareness within the industry as a presenter and published author. Among her numerous technical articles and book contributions is a chapter in The Combination Products Handbook: A Practical Guide for Combination Products and Other Combined Use Systems.

Fran is an active member of the PDA Combination Products steering committee, the ISPE Combination Products COP, the ASTM International Combination Products cGMP working group, and the AFDO/RAPS Combination Products Summit steering committee.