Later this month nearly 16,000 attendees and roughly 2,000 exhibitors presenting exciting innovations in biotechnology will descend on San Diego for BIO 2017. The largest event of its kind, the Bio International Convention will take place June 20-22, and offer access to the latest bio industry trends from development to manufacturing to regulations and everything in between.

In the lead up to BIO 2017, the final landing destination for the June issue of Contract Pharma, we’ve gathered some bio-focused content for you before heading off to Cali, if you are going, that is. If not, it still makes for good reading.

We called on Contract Pharma editorial advisory board member William Downey, president of HighTech Business Decisions, to talk about the latest trends in the biopharma contract manufacturing market, which he predicts will grow to exceed $4 billion this year, all the while experiencing double-digit growth over the past three years as new biopharmaceuticals reached the market or entered the pipeline. He says high demand plus low capacity expansion rates caused high industry utilization rates last year and as a result biopharma CMOs are aggressively adding capacity and investing in productivity improving technologies. 

Contract Pharma’s resident BioPharm Insider, Eric Langer, president of BioPlan Associates, looks at budget increases in the biopharmaceutical industry as an indication of future growth.
He says by examining whether biomanufacturers and CMOs are planning to increase or decrease spending in critical areas gives a good indication of the current health of the industry and the projected growth, or contraction, expected in the future.

Based on his firms “14th Annual Report and Survey of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Capacity and Production,” which surveyed 227 biomanufacturers and CMOs about their budget and planned expenditures, he looks at not only general increases or decreases, but also, over the past eight years, the specific areas those in the industry are planning budget shifts.

Lastly on the bio front, we interviewed Joanne Anderson, business development director for the Scottish CMO, Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Services, which just this year opened up shop in the U.S. with a facility in the Boston area. We discuss trends in the current biologics fill/finish market. She says while the market will always be subject to change, the company believes there is significant market demand for aseptic manufacturing capabilities for biologics that has been boosted by a positive investment climate in the biotech space, particularly in the U.S.

If you are going to be in San Diego later this month, Contract Pharma will be at booth 1630 if you want to stop by and say hi. Hope to see you there!



Tim Wright, Editor
twright@rodmanmedia.com