DCAT Member Companies Present Latest News to Start DCAT Week 2025

Twenty companies from all corners of the bio/pharmaceutical industry provided updates on their latest developments at the inaugural event of the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT)’s annual gathering, DCAT Week, at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel in New York City on March 17, 2025 (1).

Pharmaceutical Technology® Group was on hand for the DCAT Member Company Announcement Forum, a session that DCAT opens to the press to begin the week’s schedule, which runs through March 20.

The following is a rundown of the companies and speakers who presented at the forum, and any relevant developments disclosed by those companies.

Lonza: As Lonza had announced in late 2024, the company plans to become a “pure-play” contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), the specifics and logistics of which were highlighted by Stefan Egli, business unit head, Mammalian. Egli said that transition is on target for April 1, 2025. In the meantime, Lonza has been chosen by Portugal-based Exogenus Therapeutics, as announced on March 11, 2025, to develop a good manufacturing practice-compliant process for Exogenus’ exosome-based lead candidate, Exo-101 (2).

CordenPharma: Represented by Michael Quirmbach, PhD, president and CEO, CordenPharma addressed its plans to expand peptide manufacturing capacity in Switzerland, with Quirmbach saying that 30,000 liters of extra capacity will be brought online, including downstream capacity. CordenPharma also announced on March 11, 2025 that it has entered a strategic partnership with the clinical-stage company Viking Therapeutics, of San Diego, Calif., under the terms of which CordenPharma will provide its development and manufacturing services to help meet clinical and commercial demand of Viking Therapeutics’ glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug candidate, VK2735 (3).

Avantor: Avantor has recently announced an “expansion of our activities,” as summarized by Ger Brophy, PhD, chair, Scientific Advisory Board, driven by water for injection processes operated under International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) Q7 guidelines. Brophy said a 20,000-square-meter production facility now open in Poland will help to improve supply chain efficiency.

Fujifilm Diosynth Technologies: Also addressing supply chain relativity was Lars Petersen, president and CEO of Fujifilm Diosynth Technologies, when talking about expansion in Holly Springs, NC. “We are basically deciding and constructing and operating all our sites in the same manner,” Petersen said. “And you can say this is something we’ve talked about for many years—[but] now we are actually doing it.”

BioDuro: Jim Li, president, Global CMC Solutions, spoke about a new peptide synthesis manufacturing facility due to open in Shanghai, saying this was a “hot area,” as well as another site that has “130,000 liters of reactors, brand new, and we expect to open this year, in September.”

Thermo Fisher Scientific: Jennifer Cannon, president, Commercial Operations—Pharma Services, said Thermo Fisher Scientific is notably expanding in 2025 in St. Louis, Mo., but is also adding to its oral solid dosage facilities in several other locations in the United States, including Plainfield, Mass. Pharmaceutical Technology® Group is also speaking during DCAT Week with Anil Kane, PhD, global head of Technical & Scientific Affairs, Pharma Services for Thermo Fisher Scientific. Visit PharmTech.com for the full interview once it goes live.

Axplora: Martin Meeson, CEO, discussed the meteoric rise of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs and how Axplora and other companies are adjusting to this shift in the market. “How do we use these [capabilities] to provide medicine to hundreds and thousands and millions of people out there who are in need of them, and whose lives will be impacted by them? We’re all part of the supply chain, and to do that, we need to build deep and lasting partnerships.”

Esteve: Daniel Calvo, head of Business Account Management, said that many at DCAT Week may not yet have heard of Esteve, which is based in Spain. Since opening a new site in Spain in 2022, Calvo said, the company has continued to endeavor to invest in adding more capabilities, including a current plan to invest more than €100 million in capacity to support more than 60 projects in which it is currently involved.

Symbiotec Pharmalab: Anil Satwani, managing director, spoke about Symbiotec Pharmalab’s mission to “grow in two different directions ... One [is] forward integration, a production site for drug substance using our strength in API expertise ... We also do not have to forget that ... we love the biotech organization side and try and meaningfully contribute in society to reduce the government footprint that chemistry carries.”

Neuland Laboratories: Neuland Laboratories, which recently announced an expansion of its operations in Telangana, India, is sharing more details about the technologies its investments will be covering. Nicola Giubellina, PhD, vice president and head of CMS Business Development, Europe, said some of the highlights of its planned construction are a warehouse for starting materials, cold storage for intermediates and finished goods, and a water purification plant—all of which Neuland hopes to complete by the second half of 2026.

Boston Oncology Arabia: Strengthening regional manufacturing and expanding access to biosimilar peptides—particularly for use in vaccines across Saudi Arabia—were some of the points touched upon by Lori Hoffman, head of Business Development. Hoffman said Boston Oncology is aiming to increase capacity by 75 million units per year, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s vision for the year 2030, and the company announced in January its latest expansion, designed to fully localize production of physical manufacturers.

Procos: DCAT Week has long been a cornerstone of engagement for Procos, according to the presentation given by David Short, senior manager of Business Development, Custom Synthesis. Short said Procos is marking its 80th anniversary in 2025 with the completion of one of the largest investments in its history, a €110 million (US$120 million), state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, primarily intended to meet demand for early to intermediate clinical-phase small-molecule APIs.

Bio X Cell: Colin Kennedy, business development manager, said Bio X Cell is seeing steady growth in China that “will help enhance our ability to serve researchers [and] biotech companies.” Kennedy said US-based customers have been asking for the company’s help shipping antibodies with regard to China, and a new distribution hub is strengthening collaboration between not only those two countries, but relationships with Europe as well.

JGL: Like some other companies and representatives presenting, Luka Luksic, director of CMO and Technology Transfer, said many at DCAT Week may not know much about JGL. The company already operates in more than 60 markets worldwide and has approximately 70 international partners, but Luksic said he hoped more partnerships would begin to be forged throughout the week, particularly in some areas of specific interest to JGL including ophthalmology and dermatology.

SK pharmteco: Joyce Fitzharris, head of Small Molecule, Europe, said SK pharmteco is making strategic investments across Ireland, South Korea, and the US that have reinforced the company’s commitment to building connectivity, innovation, and supportive solutions. In Ireland in particular, the company has invested more than $35 million in its latest developments. SK pharmteco also announced on March 13, 2025 that it is pursuing My Green Lab Certification, the gold standard for laboratory sustainability best practices (4).

Upperton Pharma Solutions: Nikki Whitfield, CEO, introduced Upperton, a United Kingdom-based CDMO which currently specializes in non-sterile operations in the oral, pulmonary, and nasal fields. However, Whitfield said, the company has announced the completion of the construction of a sterile manufacturing facility, to be used for aseptic and terminally sterilized products. Click here for our additional interview with Ian Lafferty, chief technical officer of Upperton Pharma Solutions (5).

Lacamas Laboratories: Lacamas has just completed the acquisition of a facility in Oregon previously owned by W.R. Grace, according to Allen Erickson, president and CEO. Erickson also spotlighted Lacamas’ work with the US Department of Defense. “We started looking around at areas that could have a little less competition than this very intense world that we’re all working in right now ... Some of the compounds that are coming from China, particularly, are a concern to the defense department.”

Ursatec: On the agenda for Ursatec, said Andreas Bilstein, PhD, general manager, is to get a US-based production facility for finished goods “up and running—either a new one or through partnerships,” ensuring efficiency in the supply chain. To that end, Bilstein said Ursatec’s presence at DCAT Week is in large part intended to establish strategic partnerships for future space within the US.

RV Group: RV Group, which has operations headquartered in Singapore, has about 4500 employees, according to Sudeshna Pan, general director, but plans to expand further. Areas of interest for the company—specifically in Vietnam—include sterile injectable manufacturing space for monoclonal antibodies and peptides, and a current project is underway equating to US$20 million, Pan said.

Bora Pharmaceuticals: Bora Pharmaceuticals operates in North America and Asia, concentrating in both large and small molecules as well as fill/finish. J.D. Mowery, division president, CDMO, discussed a multi-year project centered on artificial intelligence. “If you think about electricity taking 15 years to globalize, or the Internet took almost three decades, we understand that we want to be able to help harness this power ... so that [it] can help to discover drugs, manufacture them, and distribute them, working alongside of our partners in the most efficient and effective ways possible.”

Numerous other companies as well as some, as noted, who presented at the Member Company Announcement Forum are speaking exclusively with the editors of Pharmaceutical Technology® Group during DCAT Week 2025. Be sure to bookmark our websites for further timely coverage.

References

1. Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT). Member Company Announcement Forum. Presentation at DCAT Week, New York, NY, March 17, 2025.
2. Exogenus Therapeutics. Exogenus Therapeutics Chooses Lonza to Develop a GMP-Compliant Process to Manufacture Exo-101, its Lead Exosome-Based Candidate. Press Release. March 11, 2025.
3. CordenPharma. CordenPharma & Viking Therapeutics Sign Long-Term Strategic Partnership for Integrated Supply of GLP-1 Peptides, Injectables & Oral Formulations. Press Release. March 11, 2025.
4. SK pharmteco. SK pharmteco Embarks on Journey to Achieve My Green Lab Certification, Solidifying Commitment to Sustainable Laboratory Practices. Press Release. March 13, 2025.
5. Thomas, F. DCAT Week 2025: Helping Innovators Progress. PharmTech.com, March 17, 2025.