By Tim Roberts - Chief Commercial Officer,
PCI Pharma Services
The contract development and manufacturing organization
(CDMO) sector has moved from supporting act to co-star.
In many therapeutic areas—and particularly in sterile
injectables and complex modalities—CDMOs now rival,
and sometimes surpass, pharma sponsors in operational
reach and technical breadth. The shift reflects a convergence of forces: the rise of biologics and long-acting injectables, the continued aftershocks of COVID-19 on supply
chains and regulatory expectations, the policy push toward
onshoring, and the growing centrality of patient-centric
delivery formats such as prefilled syringes, pens, autoinjectors, and wearables.
As a result, outsourcing is no longer merely a capacity
release valve; it is a strategic lever for speed, resilience,
and access to specialized experience. The global CDMO
market is projected to grow steadily this decade; estimates
vary by methodology, but reputable sources peg 2024/2025
market size well into the hundreds of billions with high-single- to low-double-digit CAGR through 2030. That growth is
propelled by the simple fact that modern pipelines require
capabilities few sponsors maintain in-house, at the scale
and quality regulators and patients expect.
From my vantage point at PCI, the industry is at an inflection point. Winning in this new era demands three things
in combination: a quality mindset that is genuinely non-negotiable; a service model that enables faster, better decisions;
and an operating system that delivers agility without sacrificing scale. The prize is not abstract. It is measured in therapies launched on time, shortages avoided, and patients living
better, longer lives.
Read in the digital edition
- PHARMAnetwork magazine n° 67, page 20
