The first time “20 years ago” resonated with me was in 1997, when I was driving to work and passed the movie theater where Star Wars was being re-released. In a flash, I remembered being a 6-year-old kid outside that same theater in 1977, waiting to get in to my first viewing of Star Wars. My old man recognized a pal of his near the front, which enabled us to cut in the line that stretched all the way around the back of the RKO. Since that flashback, the “20 years ago” moments came fast and furious, except with bigger numbers attached, until they segued into “back when I was young” anecdotes.

But 20 years ago for the origin of Contract Pharma? That one packs a wallop.

I still remember the afternoon my editorial director walked into my office to say, “I’ve got good news and bad news: the good news is that you don’t work for me anymore; the bad news is that we’re launching a new pharmaceutical magazine and you’re the editor,” and dropped a business plan on my desk.

At that point, I was managing editor for a cosmetic packaging magazine, with no pharma experience to speak of. I didn’t know about drug manufacturing, outsourcing, clinical trials, formulation development or any of the other good stuff that this magazine would cover. And 1999 wasn’t exactly the golden age of the search engine, so it took a lot of work (with plenty of missteps) to build a ground-level understanding of the sector.

Knowing so little about the pharma industry overall, I thought the customer side would be happy to talk about how outsourcing and contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) were giving them a competitive edge in manufacturing, enabling them to focus on R&D and marketing. That lasted until I heard a variation of the same statement from five major pharma companies: “We make what we sell, and we sell what we make.” I knew it wasn’t true; I’d already been to visit [CMO X] and saw a lobby letter board reading, “Welcome, [MAJOR PHARMA COMPANY Y],” but I figured they had their reasons for not talking about their CMOs.

So instead of working closely with the customer side to understand the dynamics of this industry, I had to talk to the CMOs. Which, you could say, led to the role I now hold, but we’ll get to that later.
The business plan that was plopped on my desk (I still have it) was written by a pair of publishers from another magazine company who had the idea for Contract Pharma but wanted to make sure it was done right. The plan had in-depth market analysis, a strong list of prospective advertisers, sample editorial topics, a publishing schedule based on major industry trade shows, and multi-year revenue projections. Gary Durr and Damaris Kope had the vision for this magazine, and knew they could make it work.

Then the editor they were going to bring with them got cold feet and they wound up with me.

It’s to their enduring credit that they didn’t panic, insist on an editor with pharma-experience, or run back to their company and abort the concept. They were willing to take a chance on a 28-year-old weirdo (let’s be honest), and did their best to get me up to speed.

I’m forever thankful to them for that, and for everything they taught me over the ~15 years I worked with them.

The magazine exceeded all expectations in our first years, blasting past the revenue expectations as the ad pages kept coming in and I kept trying to figure out what all these companies DID, exactly. I was insecure enough at that point to believe that everyone else knew what all the acronyms and terminology meant, and that I was the clueless one in the industry. That went away after a few years, which is why we decided to make the annual Glossary of Terms, since it turns out NO ONE knows all this stuff.

The first 5 or 6 issues were a one-man show, editorially speaking, but as the page counts grew, we brought on staff. Bringing aboard Sarah Madley, our first Associate Editor, helped me step back from some of the routine details of the magazine and try to plan ahead for what that was worth—given the occasional contributed article cancellations and “it seemed like a good topic at the time” ideas I had for staff-written articles. Having an associate also taught me that humans aren’t telepathic and it helps to actually tell them what you want.

Sarah departed after a few years, and with the arrival of Kristin Brooks fifteen years ago, Contract Pharma really hit its stride. We produced strong editorial, built a can’t-miss conference (that began in 2002, and Kristin’s contributions have been essential to its growth), and cemented Contract Pharma’s position as the premier magazine in the outsourcing space. Kristin’s contributions have been immeasurable and the magazine couldn’t have succeeded without her. Over the years, the Contract Pharma team weathered the financial crash, waves of industry consolidation, and the transition to digital without sacrificing what made the magazine strong. (I also want to thank all the back-office staff at Rodman Media who played a role in the magazine’s success, from Production and Art to Circulation and Online, as well as the office managers, the boss, and my editorial director, who started this whole mess by dropping that plan on me in 1999.)

It was with some trepidation and sadness that I left at the beginning of 2014 to launch the Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association (PBOA). The idea for it came out of an article I wrote about the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA) in 2013. More than a dozen companies gave me quotes for that article, and every single one of them wanted to stay anonymous, for fear of reprisals with the agency. That’s when I got the idea that this industry needs a voice with FDA (and Congress, as it turns out), and that an association can be a lightning rod of sorts.

But it wasn’t just a career opportunity for me. I formed PBOA because all those years of working with the CMO/CDMO sector—and I still remember the phone call where JJ Feik of DPT Labs told me we need to add a “D” to make it the CDMO sector, with a focus on development services—brought me up close not just to the companies and what they do for patients, but to the people they employ. I’ve been to some of their weddings and their kids’ graduations, and they’ve been there during some of my tough moments. I care about this sector and the people who work in it.

Now that I’m running a trade association and registered with the feds as a lobbyist, I tell people that schmoozing is my mutant super-power, but I doubt I would have built all those close relationships without Gary and Damaris bringing me along to meetings and meals, and teaching me how to talk about something besides work (or modernist literature, as was my wont). I was insular, insecure, and aloof when I started out on this magazine, and I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to get to know people without the example they set. I thank them both for all the guidance that enabled me to make this jump. We went through a lot together, and I wish them luck on the next stage of their lives.

For 20 years, Contract Pharma has championed the bio/pharma outsourcing sector, and the work it does to develop and manufacture medicines for patients in need. I’m honored and proud to have played a role in it. Here’s to another 20 years!

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Gil Roth
President, Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association

Gil Roth is the President of the Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association (pharma-bio.org), a nonprofit trade association advocating for the CMO/CDMO sector. He was the Founding Editor of Contract Pharma, serving from 1999 to 2014. He can be reached at gil.roth@pharma-bio.org