CDMO, Suven Pharmaceuticals, aims to reach USD 1 bn in revenue by 2030, by investing in new facilities to increase production capacity and strengthen its capabilities in drug development and manufacturing to support global pharmaceutical clients.

CDMO partnerships are great when they are successful, but what happens when they falter? The complexity of modern outsourcing partnerships means that failure is often costly, with consequences that can ripple across timelines, budgets, and reputations.

Indian CDMO, Shilpa Medicare, has launched a 'hybrid' CDMO model at DCAT 2025. Focusing on oncology, the company will begin to offer both traditional CDMO services and ready-to-license novel formulations, allowing clients to leverage Shilpa's expertise without development risks or delays.

Florida-based CDMO, GBI Biomanufacturing (GBI), has announced the appointment of Sven Lee to its board of directors. Mr. Lee brings decades of global experience in the biologics CDMO sector, having held executive and board positions at companies such as Abzena, Catalent, and Biocina, with expertise encompassing strategic growth, marketing, commercialization, licensing, and innovation in drug development.

Biopharma companies are increasingly dependent on CDMOs to streamline production, enhance efficiency, and accelerate drug development. As therapies become more complex and regulatory demands grow, the ability to outsource manufacturing to a trusted partner has never been more essential.

Catalent has appointed Susan Mahony (formerly of Eli Lilly), Marie-France Tschudin (ex-Novartis executive), and Tim Walbert (CEO of Horizon Therapeutics) to its Board of Directors as the company looks to strengthen its position as an independent CDMO under Novo Holdings' ownership.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has ended its 2022 research collaboration with Verve Therapeutics, set up to develop an in vivo gene editing program for a specific liver disease. The decision, attributed to Vertex's shifting research priorities, allows Verve to regain full rights to the program.

Leading CDMO, Alcami, has announced the appointment of Tori E. Arens as President of Drug Product. With over 25 years’ experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, Arens will oversee Alcami's cGMP drug product manufacturing operations, including sterile fill-finish facilities in North and South Carolina, as well as oral solid dose manufacturing, packaging, and labeling in North Carolina.

DNA CDMO, Touchlight, has appointed Will Downie as a key adviser to advance its genetic medicine initiatives. Downie brings 30+ years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, having previously served as CEO of Argenta and Vectura Group, and before that as Senior VP and Chief Commercial Officer at Catalent.

Thermo Fisher is continuing staff layoffs with the expected announcement to lay off 300 workers at its viral vector manufacturing facilities in Cambridge and Plainville, Massachusetts. This comes in addition to the 160 job cuts announced in November last year - which resulted in jobs cuts across Cambridge and Plainville, as well as at its Lexington manufacturing facility.

Leading global biopharmaceutical CDMO, Rentschler Biopharma SE, has announced its intention to withdraw from the cell and gene therapy sector, ceasing operations at its Stevenage, UK site. Instead, it will concentrate on biologics in response to, it says, evolving market conditions and client needs, so that it can focus on sustainable growth and innovation.

Despite a 2.1% decrease in annual sales to USD 7.2 bn in 2024, Lonza CEO Wolfgang Wienand highlighted strong demand for its CDMO services, combined with the high volume of contracts - including two customer contracts at its new acquired large-scale mammalian production facility in Vacaville, California.

At JPM 2025, James Park, CEO of Lotte Biologics, outlined the company’s dual CDMO strategy. The company will focus on small- to medium-scale drug production - including ADCs - at their Syracuse, New York facility, while large-scale drug production will be handled at the planned Songdo bio-campus in Korea.

Singaporean biotech, DotBio, is aiming to revolutionize cancer treatment by targeting exhausted T-cells with its tri-specific antibody, DB007. The antibody, built using DotBio’s modular DotBody technology, is designed to treat a broad range of solid tumors either as a standalone therapy or in combination with others.

Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk, intends to significantly expand Catalent, the contract drug manufacturer it completed its acquisition of in December 2024. Novo aims to potentially double Catalent's size over the next five years, aligning with anticipated U.S. policies under President Trump that emphasize domestic manufacturing.

U.S. CRDMO, BioDuro, has opened a new solid-phase peptide synthesis scale-up facility at its Shanghai campus to support peptide synthesis up to 800 mmol for a wide range of peptides, including linear and cyclic peptides, as well as peptide-drug conjugates.

Thermo Fisher Scientific projects a positive outlook for its CDMO services, influenced by industry dynamics and geopolitical factors. The now complete acquisition of Catalent by Novo Holdings is expected to reduce competition for Thermo in the CDMO sector.

As the demand for advanced therapies continues to grow, CDMOs are fast becoming the solution for biopharma companies that need specialized expertise and capabilities that are scalable for their drug development and commercialization.

In addition to rebranding itself from BioDuro-Sundia, BioDuro, the global contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) announced it has achieved Gold Medal ratings in the 2024 EcoVadis sustainability assessment for its Jiangsu and Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) sites in China.

The European CDMO industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by a shift toward localized manufacturing. In a bid to enhance supply chain security, ensure compliance with EU regulations, and improve logistical efficiency, the industry has seen a rise in "friend-shoring", whereby European companies are increasingly favoring European neighbors over those on other continents.