DCAT Week 2025: Helping Innovators Progress

“The sterile manufacturing sector is at a real crossroads at the moment,” asserts Ian Lafferty, chief technical officer of Upperton Pharma Solutions. Driven by factors such as the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the requirement from industry for sterile manufacturing has been driven upwards at a significantly rapid pace, he remarks. “But, right now, there’s a real deficit in the [sterile manufacturing] capacity, and it is difficult for people to find the right places to go,” Lafferty says.

Difficulties in finding suitable aseptic/sterile manufacturing capacity is particularly prevalent for smaller innovator companies who are looking to develop just one product, Lafferty explains. “They need the CDMO [contract development and manufacturing organization] world to pick up that banner and build facilities,” he specifies. “And it’s not just the facilities; it’s the infrastructure around the appropriate quality management systems, [and] it’s the expertise to support multiple small biotech companies entering into the market.”

For sterile or non-sterile projects, CDMOs can offer some key advantages for innovator companies and the industry in general, Lafferty continues. First and foremost, he adds, having a wealth of expertise and experience in one place is a great help for small innovator companies. Additionally, CDMOs offer facility space for multiple partners, which reduces the need for smaller companies to invest in facilities of their own and provides greater flexibility as multiple projects can be serviced at the same time, Lafferty states.

“Ultimately, [CDMOs are] going to reduce costs [and] reduce timelines while maintaining quality standards,” Lafferty summarizes. “So, it's servicing and giving a place for those small innovator companies to concentrate their efforts on developing the product and the molecules and all the really difficult things they have to do, and then allowing someone else to concentrate on the manufacturing process and the compliance.”

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About the speaker

Ian Lafferty is Chief Technical Officer for Upperton Pharma Solutions. He has more than 30 years’ experience within the pharma industry and has previously held senior management and executive roles at emerging and growing CDMOs. Ian is a formulation scientist with a background in oral solid dosage, nasal dosage, and sterile dosage forms.