Growth remains attractive, but selective
Confidence is improving in 2026, but the recovery is uneven. 78% of end-to-end CDMOs expect growth to improve versus 2025, while other segments remain more cautious. Winning requires the right exposure to high-growth modalities, technologies and customer segments.
Resilience is reshaping the outsourcing equation
Supply security, geographic diversification and multi-sourcing are becoming increasingly important. At the same time, 54% of pharma respondents expect at least some increase in insourcing, raising the bar for CDMOs to prove the value of external manufacturing and resilient supply.
Strategic partnership is often more aspiration than alignment
Pharma and CDMOs often agree on what matters, but alignment does not consistently translate into delivery. In one pairing, goal alignment reaches 83% while expectation fulfillment falls to just 40%, highlighting a significant execution gap.
Commercial differentiation is critical
Winning CDMOs need to turn strong customer relationships into differentiated value through sharper propositions, value-based pricing and systematic account management. Differentiated value propositions rank as the #1 commercial initiative across every CDMO segment, reaching 71% among late-phase providers.
