Pharma Capacity to Produce Cytotoxic Injectable Drugs Constricts

The capacity of pharmaceutical contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) to produce cytotoxic injectable drugs during the next five years will be tight, according to a new in-depth special report from PharmSource.

The report, The Demand and Supply for Contract Manufacturing of Cytotoxic Injectable Drugs Through 2019, presents detailed research and insight into the CMO industry’s ability to meet projected demand.

In developing the report, PharmSource’s researchers investigated quantitative factors such as FDA submissions and approvals, CMO closures and expansions, and injectable drugs currently in pipeline, including antibody drug conjugates (ADCs).

The researchers found that as an industry, CMOs have lost considerable capacity to manufacture cytotoxic injectable drugs. Indeed, although 21 CMOs claim they can produce cytotoxic injectable drugs, only five actually have the capability, track record, and market focus to be considered seriously for manufacturing high-value products like ADCs, said Jim Miller, president of PharmSource.

Given the current environment, report concluded that CMOs should be able to maintain pricing power and perhaps even force drug sponsors to commit to projects sooner than they’d like to in order to ensure necessary space, he said.

“The information we uncover in our latest report should prompt bio/pharmaceutical companies to reconsider their sourcing strategies and assess the adequacy of the CMO industry to manufacture products in pipeline,” he said. “It also should help CMOs make strategic investment decisions when it comes to producing cytotoxic injectable drugs.”

Source: PharmSource