Contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) have been on the rise in the last decade. Historically, CDMOs operated on a business model which predominantly focused on serving as external service providers for manufacturing pharmaceuticals. This model included the addition of capacity by the acquisition of manufacturing facilities from (bio)pharma companies or own capital investments. However, CDMOs have increasingly become innovation leaders and cover more areas of the pharma business, not just manufacturing, opening up additional revenue streams.

This change of focus has been accompanied by a change in the M&A landscape in the market. Some CDMOs are expanding their services and swapping their “contracts” for “partnerships”, evolving the term “CDMO” into “PDMO.” By getting closer to their partners, CDMOs can move past some of the pressure and offer consultative support or innovation to develop products in new ways.
The evolution of the CDMO sector is propelled by rising manufacturing standards, the advent of groundbreaking therapies, and a shift towards personalized medicine.

CHEManager asked executives and industry experts from a broad range of CDMOs to share their views on how their companies are dealing with this changing economic environment and the resulting opportunities and challenges. We proposed to discuss the following aspects:

• (How) have the rules of the CDMO market changed since the pandemic of 2020/21?
• What do you consider the most important growth drivers for CDMOs?
• What is your company’s strategy to grow the market share in the CDMO industry?

Continuously Improving Core Competencies

Frank Ferrante: Meeting timelines and delivering quality products have become “table stakes” to effectively competing and growing in the CDMO market. Post-pandemic, growth is increasingly being driven by providing world-class service that is differentiated in distinct ways.  At Cambrex, we focus on scientific innovation, continuously improving core competencies, and developing deep partnerships to grow market share. 

First, we are small molecule API experts. As molecules have evolved in complexity, we have deepened and expanded our technical know-how to address a full range of chemistries from traditional small molecules and controlled substances to highly potent compounds and complex synthetics such as peptides and oligonucleotides. We believe we have the experience and talent to tackle the full gamut of development and manufacturing challenges, and we routinely leverage our full site network and pool of scientific experts across the U.S. and Europe to deliver for our customers.

Second, we are relentless in our pursuit of improving the foundational competencies required to be great in this industry. We consistently deliver superlative quality, we continuously invest in our facilities and equipment to deliver more environmentally sustainable solutions and further extend our technical reach, and we invest in our people, processes, and systems to increase business efficiency and improve the customer experience.

Most importantly, we seek to develop trusted partnerships built on effective collaboration across all customer interactions. This “high touch” approach is demonstrated through shared problem solving, best practice sharing, and in our efforts to exceed the mark on every project. From solving process development challenges to seamlessly executing intra-network tech transfers to collaborating to optimize manufacturing yields at commercial scale, we work closely with customers who trust us with their programs to build trust and extend relationships.