DCAT Week 2025: Keeping Up with Drug Demand

The bio/pharmaceutical industry is feeling the pressures of demand across numerous drug modalities and dosage forms in 2025; identifying where that demand is greatest and then figuring out how to serve that population is of utmost importance, according to Anil Kane, PhD, global head of Technical & Scientific Affairs, Pharma Services, at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with Kane on site at the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) Week event on March 17, 2025, where Kane addressed, among other trends, the major topic of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs, as well as new ways of improving the clinical trials process.

“At Thermo Fisher—in the Pharma Services group specifically—we continue to see and monitor the market demand in terms of, what are those therapeutic areas that our customers would like to address, what are the types of molecules, what are the capacities and the demands of our customers?” Kane says in the interview. “And then we continue to monitor these and make strategic discussions with our partners and either leverage our existing capacity or are in discussions: How do we meet those demands, to meet the future requirements, to see the molecules reach the patient in the coming years?”

Kane also touched upon Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Accelerator Drug Development services, which were launched in October 2024. This offering is described by the company as its 360° contract development and manufacturing organization and contract research organization drug development solutions.

DCAT Week is happening March 17–20, 2025 in New York City.

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About the speaker

Anil Kane, PhD, Global Head of Technical & Scientific Affairs, Pharma Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Kane has more than 25 years of experience in the science and business of taking molecules through the entire drug development process, spanning early-stage development to scale-up and commercial manufacturing and includes technical transfers between global sites and drug life cycle management. Kane received his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees from the Bombay College of Pharmacy, University of Bombay, India, and served as a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has also earned an executive Master of Business Administration degree from Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Kane is a member of various international pharmaceutical professional organizations and is often asked to speak about scientific topics on formulation, technology, and other technical aspects at major industry events. He has also published many articles in international journals and delivered many talks at meetings and conferences across the globe.