Market performance & growth outlook
While 2024 was marked by modest gains, 2025 picks up speed, particularly among CDMOs. Early-phase CDMOs are particularly optimistic, with over 80% expecting improved results in 2025. Yet emerging biopharma remains divided, and large molecule CDMOs are notably more cautious.
Outsourcing & manufacturing capacity
Capacity constraints are expected to become a key challenge in 2025. Over 70% of established pharma companies anticipate moderate to significant constraints. For CDMOs, late-phase and end-to-end CDMOs view tightened capacities as a natural consequence of rising demand, which strengthens their strategic value to pharma companies seeking reliable scale.
Partnership priorities & collaboration gaps
While both CDMOs and pharma companies agree on core factors that define partnership success, their top priorities diverge. CDMOs emphasize speed and flexibility, whereas pharma companies prioritize reliability and communication. These misalignments highlight the need for segment-specific engagement strategies to build stronger, long-term partnerships.
Digital readiness & innovation opportunities
Digitization becomes a core capability, with over 60% of pharma companies citing AI as critical to process optimization. In contrast, lagging adoption among CDMOs risks widening the gap. While CDMOs are actively investing in technologies like continuous manufacturing, they are often less focused on areas prioritized by pharma, such as predictive maintenance and quality control.
CDMO | Established pharma | Emerging biopharma | |
Artificial intelligence (AI) | 28% | 41% | 39% |
Continuous manufacturing | 35% | 33% | 28% |
Advanced automation and robotics | 20% | 22% | 17% |
Novel drug delivery platform technologies | 14% | 19% | 22% |
Process analytical technology (PAT) | 13% | 30% | 39% |
Predictive maintenance | 11% | 26% | 17% |