Reimagining Progress: Partnering for the Future of Bio/Pharma
The bio/pharma industry is evolving with intention, intelligence, and a growing sense of shared purpose.
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As we turn another page in the ongoing evolution of biopharmaceutical development and manufacturing, it’s clear the industry is experiencing a moment of both reflection and reinvention. Scientific innovation continues to race ahead, ushering in novel modalities, shifting expectations for outsourcing, and presenting new challenges that demand agility, collaboration, and foresight.
This issue’s cover story, “Novel Modalities Spur Shift in Outsourcing Processes and Partnerships,” examines how traditional models of sponsor–CDMO relationships are giving way to deeper, more strategic collaborations. The old transactional mindset is being replaced by partnerships rooted in shared goals: speed to market, scalability, and patient impact. As therapies become more complex, so too must the ecosystems that support them.
One area where this complexity is especially visible is biosimilars. In “The Challenge of Market Uptake for Biosimilars,” we explore how a maturing pipeline still struggles to achieve market traction. As originator biologics lose exclusivity, the opportunity is clear, but it will take not only robust development but also policy support and physician and patient education to fully realize the promise of biosimilars.
Innovation in downstream processing also remains a priority. Automation has permeated many aspects of biomanufacturing, but as our article “Automation Advances for Cell Harvesting in Biomanufacturing” reveals, significant technical and logistical hurdles remain—especially at the cell harvesting stage, where precision and throughput are critical.
Equally urgent is the imperative for sustainable bioprocess development. In “Sustainability by Design,” we’re reminded that green initiatives aren’t just good ethics—they’re good science. Embedding sustainability into the earliest stages of process design is no longer optional; it’s essential to long-term operational success.
This issue also lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of analytics in biopharma, with an introductory primer that unpacks how data and insights are shaping every step of development and manufacturing.
Lastly, our features on outsourcing talent in the age of artificial intelligence and navigating global good manufacturing practice compliance reinforce a recurring theme: progress is no longer a solo effort. Whether it’s aligning with regulators across continents or cultivating diverse teams in an era of rapid automation, success requires openness, adaptability, and true partnership.
Together, these articles paint a picture of an industry not just innovating, but evolving—with intention, intelligence, and a growing sense of shared purpose.
About the author
Mike Hennessy Jr is President and CEO of MJH Life Sciences®
Article details
BioPharm International®
Vol. 38, No. 4
May 2025
Page: 5
Citation
When referring to this article, please cite it as Hennessy, M. Reimagining Progress: Partnering for the Future of Bio/Pharma. BioPharm International 2025 38 (4).
Novel Modalities Spur Shift in Outsourcing Processes and Partnerships
May 8th 2025While a one-stop shop still has its advantages, sponsor companies and CDMOs are starting to see each other not as transactional relationships, but true partners with a common goal of getting drugs to patients faster.
