Crossroads in Contract Pharma

As the pharmaceutical world gathers once again in Europe for CPHI Frankfurt 2025, we’re reminded of just how global—and interconnected—our industry truly is. Over three days this October, more than 62,000 pharma professionals and 2,000 exhibitors will converge to discuss the trends, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of drug development and delivery

For Contract Pharma, this issue is a chance to contribute to those conversations with timely coverage and analysis that cuts across science, manufacturing, and outsourcing strategy.

In these pages, we’ve assembled a set of features that reflect the challenges and opportunities our readers face every day. Hamilton Lenox of LGM Pharma examines how to build resilience into API sourcing strategies amid geopolitical and regulatory volatility.

On the advanced therapy front, we explore how cell and gene therapies are reshaping supply chain expectations, with logistics evolving into a discipline as critical as science itself.

We also talk about sustainability—from the global push to reformulate pMDIs with next-generation propellants to broader questions of how pharma can balance environmental stewardship with patient access and affordability. Complementing that, our feature on the digital transformation of pharma looks at how data management and AI-enabled tools are setting the stage for a new era of drug design and development.

In addition, our Pharma Matters Q&A with Piramal Pharma Solutions spotlights R&D strategies across oral solid doses, sterile injectables, and complex modalities. Executives Brad Gold and Sunny Neelakantan share how Piramal is aligning global formulation capabilities to better support sponsors with niche and advanced therapies.

Together, these stories offer a panoramic view of the forces reshaping outsourcing and supply chains.

This issue also marks an important transition for Contract Pharma. We are pleased to welcome Julie Fuhrer as our new Publisher. Julie brings more than two decades of experience in medical device media and marketing, most recently serving as Media Brand Manager for Medical Product Outsourcing and Orthopedic Design & Technology. Her background working closely with CDMOs and suppliers makes her an ideal fit to guide Contract Pharma into its next phase of growth.

At the same time, we extend our deepest thanks to Lauren Hanna, who has served with distinction as Publisher in recent years. Under Lauren’s leadership, Contract Pharma broadened its editorial voice, elevated the annual Conference & Tabletop Exhibition, and reinforced its standing as a go-to resource for pharma and biopharma professionals worldwide. We wish her every success in the next chapter of her career.

As you read this issue—whether in Frankfurt or elsewhere—I hope you find both insight and inspiration in its pages. The pharmaceutical outsourcing industry continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, and our mission at Contract Pharma remains the same: to provide clarity, context, and a platform for the conversations that will shape tomorrow’s therapies.

Enjoy the issue, and for those attending CPHI Frankfurt, safe travels—I look forward to seeing many of you there.

Tim Wright, Editor

twright@rodmanmedia.com