Contract Manufacturing, General

A major shift is occurring in the way the biopharmaceutical industry sources goods and services. Price pressures at the retail end of the value chain and a difficult fundraising environment are forcing biopharmaceutical companies to take greater control of their costs. Purchased goods and services, including contract research and manufacturing services as well as raw materials and laboratory supplies, are a major expense in most companies, so control of those purchasing decisions is coming in for special scrutiny.

The lack of biomanufacturer acquisitions seems surprising.

Interestingly, it is companies that already have the most capacity available to them that are building even more.

Moving aggressively to implement its Vision 2010 strategy, which debuted in October 2005, DSM N.V. (Heerlen, Netherlands) announced in December 2005 that it would shut down its Montreal biomanufacturing facility in early 2006. The move doesn't signal an exit from manufacturing, however, but a change in focus; DSM will simultaneously expand its expression-technology relationship with Crucell (Leiden, the Netherlands). Both moves reflect changing circumstances in the biomanufacturing sector.

Before designing cleaning procedures, it's vital to know all physical and chemical characteristics of the product ingredients.