92 TWENTYFOURSEVENBIOPHARMA Issue 1 / March 2026 DCAT ROUNDTABLE production slots were often seen as the key indicator of manufacturing capacity. However, that environment has largely changed. Today, capacity should be considered in terms of “capability” rather than simply infrastructure. Successfully manufacturing a product at the required scale, timeline, and quality depends less on the number of bioreactors and more on the technical expertise needed to manage the process. As therapeutic modalities become more complex, pharma companies may benefit from partnering with CDMOs that have proven expertise in handling complex molecules rather than focusing solely on nominal capacity. How would you describe the mood of the outsourcing market right now - stabilising, cautious, or entering a new growth cycle? The outsourcing market currently feels like cautious stabilization, rather than a broad-based rebound. Sponsors remain disciplined with capital deployment and are scrutinizing partner selection much more closely than during the post-pandemic expansion cycle. It seems that demand is strongest where outsourcing reduces technical and regulatory risks, particularly in biologics, complex modalities, and advanced analytical testing. From an analytical testing perspective, two structural drivers continue to support outsourcing demand. First, the science behind therapeutics is becoming increasingly complex, requiring specialized assays and deeper analytical expertise. Second, regulatory expectations around analytical method validation, lifecycle management, and impurity control continue to increase, making experienced external partners essential for maintaining development timelines and regulatory readiness. To what extent are geopolitical pressures reshaping sourcing decisions, particularly around regionalisation and dual sourcing? Geopolitical pressures are increasingly influencing sourcing strategies, particularly for programs where supply continuity and regulatory confidence are critical. While pharmaceutical companies remain global in their operations, many are actively reducing concentration risk by adding regional redundancy and second source suppliers across development, manufacturing, and analytical services. For analytical testing, this often translate into a preference for partners with multiple global sites, strong quality systems, and the ability to support method transfer and release testing close to manufacturing locations. Recently policy discussions in the US, including the proposed BIOSECURE Act and broader national-security scrutiny of biotech supply chains, have reinforced an industry trend towards diversifying supply chains and reducing dependency on a single geography. DEAN BORNILLA Vice President, Head of Commercial Pace® Life Sciences ORDINARY PAGES? NOT HERE! WE ARE EXTRA-ORDINARY STORIES
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