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Biotechnology is one of the fastest-growing industries. It has weathered the storm following the crisis and investors continue to show keen interest in buying shares in biotech companies.

One of the most popular types of biotech companies in biopharma. In this article, we look at what biopharma companies do, their partnership with CDMOs, and the road ahead.

What do Biopharma Companies do?

Biopharma companies work in the biopharmaceutical industry. They research how to maintain the human body, cures, and treatments for disease, vaccines, and other human health issues, and come up with solutions.

Biopharma combines pharmaceutical manufacturing with biotechnology, using life forms to prevent, treat, or cure human diseases.

Biopharma companies have been behind major medical breakthroughs in research and treatment for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. They create medicines that are similar or identical to compounds and living organisms already present in nature such as sugars, proteins, and acids. They can also include stem cells. By extracting compounds from living sources, many biopharmaceuticals are more potent and carry fewer side effects for patients.

What are CDMOs?

In the context of biopharmaceuticals, contract development and manufacturing companies (CDMOs) provide biopharma companies with a range of services related to drug development and manufacturing.

Most big biopharma companies choose to partner with CDMOs to outsource the full process of drug development and manufacturing. The level of involvement the CDMO has varies from client to client.

CDMOs offer a wide range of services, including:

• Analytical Services
• Formulation
• Manufacturing
• Packaging
• Shipment

So, why do biopharma companies partner with CDMOs? There are actually a number of reasons for this. CDMOs can take full control of the development and manufacturing process, speeding up the path to the drugs reaching the public.

Many CDMOs have the facilities, equipment, and specialist staff to carry out this process more efficiently than biopharma companies which often have limitations on facility size and staff size.

CDMOs, such as Protein expression and purification companies can offer expertise in very specific processes and ensure that they are carried out to the highest standards, complying with all necessary regulations. This gives biopharma companies the peace of mind that their products are being developed and manufactured to the highest standard.

The demand for CDMOs has surged in recent years, with the market size of the biopharmaceutical CDMO industry forecast to grow by 10% by 2025.

The Partnership between Biopharma Companies and CDMOs

Biopharma companies have a growing demand for partnerships with CDMOs not only to get their products to market but also to reach business and sustainability goals.

Increased pressure on large companies to reduce their carbon footprint and improve sustainability efforts has opened the doors for CDMOs to expand their role in biotech. CDMOs now support biopharma companies not only in the development and manufacturing of drugs, but also in designing sustainable packaging, reducing resources, and offsetting their carbon footprint. Particularly in the manufacturing sector.

The switch to a greener mindset will see CDMOs taking a leading role in providing biopharma companies with environmentally-friendly practices and demonstrating their commitment to a better planet.