Process analytical technology (PAT), though a viable field for several decades, is finally coming of age in the pharmaceutical industry. The US FDA's PAT initiative of 2004 has led to the rebirth of a field that has proven itself in other industries with the potential of gaining manufacturing efficiencies and better regulation for pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. As NIR instrumentation and software development continues to progress, the applications and implementations of NIR in these areas are bound to increase.

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