Tom Sellig on CDMO Innovation and US Manufacturing Growth

As a part of PharmTech’s coverage of CPHI Americas, Tom Sellig, CEO, Adare Pharma Solutions, spoke with PharmTech to offer his perspective on the forces shaping pharmaceutical development and manufacturing today, from advanced dosage form technologies to the regulatory environment and the industry's reshoring momentum.

Sellig sees the current wave of foreign investment into US manufacturing as a meaningful opportunity for contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs). He says, “as we see companies looking to try to invest in the United States, the opportunity for us is to support these complex formulations that are driving patient needs throughout the world today.”

On the innovation front, Sellig highlights 3D printing of tablets as a consequential growth drivers, enabling differentiated formulation profiles and a broader range of release mechanisms. He also points to solubility and bioavailability enhancement as a crowded but evolving space, suggesting Adare is developing proprietary approaches that could outpace currently available technologies.

Sellig also touches on regulatory dynamics, noting that ongoing changes at the FDA are reshaping how CDMOs and pharma companies collaborate. With priority review vouchers, for example, the agency is placing real pressure on development timelines and demanding faster paths to market.

Workforce development is also an important theme of the discussion as Sellig touches on the launch of the "Adare Academy," an internal training initiative covering both scientific hard skills and professional soft skills, designed to reduce turnover and strengthen client service continuity.

On the broader reshoring narrative, Sellig acknowledges the scale of commitments being made, close to $500 billion pledged by large pharma, while remaining pragmatic. "We're focusing on what we can do today, building out selective capacity and capabilities in order to support the industry's requirements and needs of growth," he says.