DCAT Week 2025: Recognizing the Value of CDMOs

Therapeutic modalities are diversifying across the bio/pharma industry, explains Simon Wright, vice president of Business Development for Almac Pharma Services. “Whilst there remains a strong demand for traditional small molecules, we see a higher percentage growth in areas such as biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapies, and I guess, most recently, peptides,” he says. “And these drugs are administered through various formats, ranging from oral to injectables, but with an increasing trend towards drug–device combinations.”

In addition, regulatory and financial incentives are giving rise to increased attention on novel drugs that treat rare and difficult-to-treat diseases that have smaller patient populations, Wright adds. With these trends in mind, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) need to offer flexibility as a strategic partner to innovators, he specifies.

“We're really seeing a desire for more of a strategic partnership versus maybe more of that traditional transaction relationship [from sponsor companies],” Wright says. “I truly believe that the evolution of sponsor CDMO relationships reflects how pharmaceutical companies recognize the value of CDMOs within their overall network and ecosystem. I think that the most strategic relationships today are characterized by strategic partnership approach where companies leverage specialist expertise and trust the CDMOs to assume greater responsibility and deliver substantial value.”

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About the speaker

Simon Wright is Vice President of Business Development for Almac Pharma Services, part of Almac Group. In his role, Simon leads the business development team across both Europe and North America, and he supports the company’s marketing efforts for the business unit. Simon has approximately 30 years’ experience in the CDMO space.