Navigating Biopharma Complexity: Why Long-Term Partnerships Matter

In a world where complexity meets urgency, biopharmaceutical leaders are discovering that the true catalyst for innovation isn’t built on technology alone but driven from trust. Long-term partnerships with contract development manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) are emerging as the cornerstone of resilient, efficient, and patient-focused drug development and market supply. When biopharmaceutical and biotech companies come together with their fill/finish partners, products gain a competitive edge founded on reliability, resilience, and strategic insight.

A new era of complexity and opportunity

During a time when the global biopharmaceutical landscape is evolving rapidly, there has been a major shift in the industry with new technologies, innovative molecules, and elevated expectations reshaping how we develop and deliver therapies to patients all around the world. This offers the industry a significant opportunity. The rise of injectable dominance, biologics, and the growing role of smaller biotech companies require everyone in the industry to rethink the need for strategic, trust-based partnerships.

There is an old African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This perfectly reflects the importance of partnerships in biopharma. Success in developing, producing, and delivering medicines depends on strong collaboration. Companies that invest in and strengthen these partnerships will be better prepared for the changes and challenges ahead.

How are injectables reshaping the industry?

More than 60% of today’s R&D drug pipeline consists of injectables, and this share is still growing (1). This rise is connected to the fact that the most promising therapeutic areas like cell and gene therapies, biologics, or messenger RNA therapies mostly require injectable delivery systems.

Small biotech companies with one or two drug candidates are an important source of innovation with US biotech companies dominating this market internationally. Overall, 85% of all new drugs in 2024 came from these players, and 63% of them launched successfully (2,3). At the same time, financing these projects for those companies has become increasingly challenging.

To be able to keep up with the global bio/pharmaceutical industry’s growth, outsourcing is on the rise, and small biotech companies initiated 63% of clinical trials in 2024 compared to 26% by large pharma, down from 47% in 2015 (4). All these trends show one key takeaway, which is that, as injectables become more popular, CDMOs are becoming even more critical enablers of market acceleration.

The partnership imperative: from supplier to strategic ally

Long-term collaboration isn’t about transactions, it’s about trust, foresight, and shared growth. True partnership is based on six pillars:

• Shared vision. Alignment enables decisions to be strategic. It’s not just service delivery, it’s co-creating value from development to commercialization and beyond, enabled by clear communication.
• Expertise and resilience. In a volatile market like the biopharma industry, flexibility matters.Resilience comes from experience and trust. A partner must combine proven expertise with agility to handle the unexpected.
• Risk mitigation. Risks are inevitable. Strong partnerships can manage them proactively by anticipating supply chain and regulatory challenges before they arise.
• Innovation and speed. Innovation and agility thrive on trust. Close collaboration accelerates timelines and unlocks better solutions.
• Quality. Excellence is non-negotiable. A partner needs to look beyond today’s standards to anticipate those of tomorrow to enhance safety and consistency.
• Transparency. Open dialogue drives faster problem-solving and better outcomes.

One example (Figure 1) of this approach in practice is a relationship that began almost by coincidence through an acquisition. Initially, the collaboration was limited to development support for one product only. But because the CDMO delivered consistent quality, active relationship management, and commitment to understanding the partner’s needs, trust was built.

Later, the company had two new needs emerge, one of which had a tight timeline. However, because of the partnership fostered, the CDMO was equipped to collaborate with strategy and agility to meet the company’s needs. Since then, that partnership continued to grow, and the CDMO was able to support the company as it expanded into new regions, including support for early-stage development. This growth built a foundation for operational integration. Today, this partnership includes multiple commercial products and a strong early-stage pipeline that is driven by open, proactive exchange and shared ambition.

Why it’s time to rethink relationships

In a volatile world shaped by complexity, uncertainty, the need for speed, and growing sustainability demands, choosing the right partner is more critical than ever. When evaluating a potential development and manufacturing partner, the following criteria should be considered:

• Regulatory expertise. The service-oriented partner must have deep experience in clinical and commercial manufacturing as well as packaging, regulatory requirements. A solid knowledge of Annex 1 and other regulations is essential.
• Technical flexibility. The ability to process complex biologic APIs into applicable biologic drug products, select the right primary packaging components, and adapt analytical methods should be closely considered. Flexibility in formats, technologies, and processes is key for tailored solutions.
• ·Uncompromising quality. Delivering consistent high quality, even under time pressure, through robust processes, qualified teams, and a strong quality system to help achieve optimal patient safety is something more than essential in the biopharma and biotech sector. Partners should be ready to tackle these challenges.
• Scalability for market entry. A fill/finish partner often supports beyond clinical phases, providing scalable processes, regulatory readiness, and supply chain expertise to enable a smooth transition until commercial launch and beyond.
• True partnership. A real partner is not just a service provider, but a collaborator with open communication, cultural fit, and long-term thinking. Trust, transparency, and shared goals make the difference through long-lasting partnerships.

The third wave of biotech includes deeptech, sustainability, and co-innovation

The biotech industry has evolved in three waves. The first wave was the pioneer era with genetic engineering, recombinant proteins, and monoclonal antibodies. This laid the foundation for biopharmaceuticals. The second wave brought targeted therapies, personalized medicine and the first complex injectable products through pharma-biotech collaborations. Right now, biotech is in the third waveled by deeptech, sustainability, and the need for co-innovation.Together, biotech and biopharma are shaping the future of injectables with innovation, collaboration, responsibility, mutual understanding, and alignment.

This is the future imagined in the life science community: one that grows from strong foundations, held together by shared values, and develops through innovation. Like a tree (Figure 2), a resilient partnership begins with deep roots. Reliability and quality are the foundation, and without them, nothing can last. Trust and transparency form the trunk, providing the structural strength that holds a collaboration together. From this foundation, the branches extend into predictive supply chains, AI-driven processes, real-time collaboration, and an unwavering focus on patients and the planet through innovations that turn vision into reality. It’s important to keep building partnerships that don’t just deliver products and services but shape the future of healthcare.

About the author

Lars Hahn is senior vice-president, Global Sales Organization, at Vetter.

References

1. Swift, J. The Operations Perspective: Best Practices from 70 Years in Injection Device Manufacturing. ONdrugDelivery 2023, 142, 28–30.
2. Park, A.; Dunleavy, K.; Sagonowsky, E. Breaking Down the 55 New Drug Approvals of 2024. fiercepharma.com. Jan. 10, 2025.
3. FDA. Advancing Health Through Innovation: New Drug TherapyApprovals 2024. (CDER, January 2025).
4. IQVIA. Global Trends in R&D 2025. Market Research Report. March, 26, 2025.