Outsourcing

Trends in certain forms of drug delivery, as well as the emergence of artificial intelligence, are playing roles in evolving the nature of partnerships, but there are new types of partnerships gaining steam as well.

Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with Martin Meeson, CEO of Axplora, about the role contract development and manufacturing organizations have in ensuring the quality of APIs and the security of the supply chain.

Global scale-up requires developing replicable processes that work the same no matter where they are performed. This can be accomplished with smart factories that utilize fully automated manufacturing platforms.

Christy Eatmon of Thermo Fisher Scientific reviewed her company’s experience at CPHI Americas 2025 and discussed recent industry trends that are driving strategic partnerships.

Merck will have early-stage opportunities to help startups set up for future success in the pharmaceutical and life sciences fields.

The proposed $700 million, 700,000-square-foot space will support the companies’ future joint portfolio of next-generation obesity medicines.

The company said the investment is in response not only to customer demand and a belief in the value of US-based innovation, but also because of the trend toward US onshoring brought about by new tariff policies.

The company said the expansion is in response to globally rising demand for inhaled biologics, which offer distinct advantages in route of administration, but can be challenging products for developers.

BioPharm International® spoke with Lun Xin, associate director at WuXi Biologics, about high-concentration biologics and some of the biggest challenges associated with their formulation.

The shift toward personalized medicines poses new challenges in cleanroom protocols.

The pandemic made it daunting for companies to retain talent and then find it anew, but just as that cloud is lifting and workforce diversity is being embraced, AI beckons as a new challenge.

The project, the North African Dementia Registry, will unite multiple entities for the purpose of developing a comprehensive dataset to advance the research community’s understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in diverse populations.

The new United Kingdom-based firm has sites located in France, Spain, and Sweden, thanks to an acquisition of Synerlab Group and several Recipharm facilities in 2024.

On April 14, 2025, the Trump Administration launched a national security-driven investigation into pharmaceuticals, a move that will likely result in tariffs being placed on pharmaceutical drugs, ingredients, and other components that are imported from outside of the United States.

Even with, or perhaps because of, the rapidity with which changes in United States policy are developing, many in the bio/pharmaceutical industry are taking a longer view.

Lack of skills in the AI realm was a distant second among those surveyed about the biggest barrier to innovation while using the technology.

Bringing in external expertise may be necessary when internal knowledge is lacking, but it is critical that any contract employee or consultant is comprehensively assessed to ensure the right person is employed.

The move towards “pharma 4.0” requires a major shift, both ideologically and technologically, to adapt current processes to a framework that will automate much of today’s manufacturing.

William Wainwright, business development manager at Iwata Label USA, discusses the practical security benefits of functional labels at INTERPHEX 2025.

With advanced manufacturing, BioPure’s BioClamp connector is manufactured to be 13% lighter than the previous model, resulting in a 26% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions across the full lifecycle of the product.

Winners are selected entirely through industry voting, with those honored representing recognition by their peers.

In the latest of a series of warning letters to India-based API manufacturers, FDA issued a warning letter to Aspen for deviations in CGMP in the production of APIs.

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s new membership survey said that 90% of US biotech companies rely on imported components for at least half of their FDA-approved products.

With a completed €40 million (US$43 million) investment in Slovenia, Novartis has opened its first specialized viral vector production facility in Europe, following earlier significant investments in R&D that has led to the growth of Slovenia’s workforce.