Use of benchmarking in the development of biopharmaceutical products.

As the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry enters the 21st century, the pressure on companies to maintain the level of productivity required for consistent year-on-year growth is increasing. Benchmarking has become a tool for obtaining the information needed to support continuous improvement and gain a competitive advantage. During the process of benchmarking, best practices can be identified while giving management the ability to improve on existing performance in an objective, well-informed manner. When used appropriately, benchmarking provides a new perspective on traditional methods while enabling companies to monitor their performance.