Authors:
Jennifer Cannon, President, Commercial, Pharma Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Mike Kleppinger, President, Commercial, Clinical Research, Thermo Fisher Scientific
It is hard to ignore some of the most pressing, long-term trends driving the push to accelerate innovation and progress in drug development. From an aging population increasing healthcare demand to urgent, unmet medical needs, there are clear drivers to advance safe and effective medicines to patients faster than ever. According to the United Nation’s 2024 World Population Prospects data, the global population of those 65 years old and over will grow from 0.8 billion in 2023 to 1.2 billion in 2035. As a result, biopharma and biotech companies working to bring their drug pipelines to the market require deep expertise from trusted partners to help deliver critical therapies for their patients.
Like many aspects of life in the 21st century, this era of scientific advancement and increased partnership is largely driven by next-generation technologies that are streamlining workflows, breaking down silos and empowering scientists to extract the most prescient insights from their data throughout the drug development process. However, getting essential treatments to patients quickly and safely requires more than just technological innovation. It demands a comprehensive, collaborative approach that reduces complexity and allows for just-in-time decision-making throughout the drug development journey.
The ability to adapt to growth and change will determine the opportunities of many biotech and biopharma companies. In today’s landscape, this requires tailored solutions and agility to address many new challenges. Companies can benefit from solutions such as our AcceleratorTM Drug Development, leveraging the combined strength of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s 360˚ Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and Contract Research Organization (CRO) services, which provides CDMO, CRO and clinical trial supply chain capabilities that further streamline every stage of clinical development and ensure the fastest path from discovery to patients.
This unique offering of services for clinical research, manufacturing and supply chain support across all modalities – including small molecules, biologics, and cell and gene therapies – provides biopharma and biotech companies with a connected approach, reducing inefficiencies that can slow the journey from discovery to development and eventual delivery to patients.
Where companies may otherwise face multiple hand-offs and inefficiencies, the right partner can reduce transfers, minimize risk and avoid potential errors and delays. Instead of navigating supply chain hurdles, they can rely on a global partner with local expertise and access, creating greater agility and less waste. Whether these companies need support for a specific step or the entire process, having a partner with a full suite of capabilities provides the expertise, foresight and resources needed to drive success across all stages of drug development and therapeutic areas.
Companies bringing their molecules to market must navigate all stages of development and commercialization, including from pre-clinical benchtop batches to Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) and Investigational New Drug (IND) consulting, running Phase I-IV trials, scaling supply for clinical trials and potentially commercial manufacturing, packaging and labeling, and peri- and post-approval studies. As companies undertake these steps, they increasingly rely on supply partners like Thermo Fisher who can address challenges in real time, helping maintain the highest levels of quality throughout the process without losing time or momentum.
To ensure the delivery of treatments to patients worldwide, biotech and biopharma companies also need partners that can provide comprehensive solutions from a geographic perspective. Our connected, global CDMO and CRO network provides proactive oversight and the continuous delivery of services and collaboration, regardless of physical location. With medicines often being developed and delivered to patients worldwide, these global support systems that maintain quality at every site and stage of the process are critical for the entire industry.
One common denominator drives all these needs and the pursuit of a truly connected, comprehensive drug development solution: the patient. According to Citeline’s Pharmaprojects tracking, some 21,000 molecules are in the drug development pipeline right now – and they are all being developed because they have the potential to change and save lives. By accelerating timelines, anticipating challenges and alleviating bottlenecks, pharmaceutical companies and combined CDMO and CRO partners together can help ensure those potential treatments reach the patients who need them as efficiently as possible.