Novartis’ Carrie Bracco Says Flexibility in Biomanufacturing is the Most Underaddressed Need for Emerging Biotech Companies

Carrie Bracco, head of Business Development US at Novartis Contract Manufacturing, spoke to BioPharm International® in an interview at the 2026 BIO International Convention (BIO 2026), where she describes Novartis’ embedded contract manufacturing organization (CMO) model and addresses 2 converging pressures reshaping the contract manufacturing landscape. She points to a US capacity crunch driven by geopolitical factors and growing demand for manufacturing flexibility from emerging biotech companies.

Bracco distinguishes Novartis Contract Manufacturing from traditional CMOs by explaining that it is an embedded model that offers excess capacity from existing Novartis facilities. The business thus uses the same personnel, quality systems, and regulatory processes the pharma major applies to its own medicines. She explains this model eliminates the tiered service dynamic common in traditional CMO arrangements, in which dedicated internal teams may receive greater resources than external clients.

How is the US manufacturing capacity crunch affecting biotech access to contract manufacturing?

On capacity, Bracco says that geopolitical pressures are driving a large-scale surge in US-based facility investment, but that new greenfield facilities require substantial lead time before becoming operational. She characterizes the current moment as a midterm gap, during which companies need available, ready-to-run capacity while their own or other new sites come online. This scenario provides a window that an embedded CMO model, like Novartis Contract Manufacturing, would be well positioned to fill, she adds.

"With these emerging biotechs, there's a lot of unknowns for them—finance unknowns, the success of their molecule unknown, personnel unknowns—they really are looking for flexibility in their manufacturing process, or their manufacturing partners," Bracco emphasizes.

She also notes that CMO flexibility for emerging biotechs is not receiving adequate attention across the industry. She acknowledges the inherent tension, that CMOs traditionally prefer long-horizon planning commitments, but stresses that the sector must find creative approaches to accommodate biotech uncertainty without compromising internal manufacturing commitments.

BIO 2026 occurred June 22–25 in San Diego.

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About the speaker

Carrie Bracco, Head of Business Development US, Novartis Contract Manufacturing

Bracco is a seasoned business leader with more than 20 years of experience delivering innovative solutions to global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Her expertise spans contract manufacturing, single-use bioprocessing, drug product packaging, and delivery devices.