News and industry insights on Contract development and manufacturing services for chemicals, particularly in pharmaceuticals and specialties.
Capacity expanded. WuXi Biologics progressed the Chengdu microbial commercial manufacturing site. Evonik expands biotech drug‑substance capacity in Slovakia with downstream investments. Financing will build Africa’s first end‑to‑end multi‑vaccine manufacturing facility at Biovac.
Regulatory and quality milestones accelerated. WuXi received MFDS GMP certification for commercial bispecific production in South Korea and MHRA GMP certification for ophthalmic biologic manufacturing in the UK. AGC Biologics gained Anvisa GMP certification for Seattle facility, and supported marketing authorization for Waskyra, an ex vivo gene therapy for Wiskott‑Aldrich syndrome.
Process intensification advanced. WuXi launched the PatroLab digital twin platform for real‑time, model‑predictive control and reported digital‑native operations improving cycle times and transparency. Toray introduced a high‑efficiency separation membrane module to cut purification fouling, buffer use, and footprint.
Complex modalities dominated dealflow. WuXi signed a license and research agreement with Vertex for a trispecific T‑cell Engager and a strategic collaboration with Earendil Labs on bispecific/multispecific antibodies. AGC Biologics began development and GMP production for NN4101. Asahi Kasei licensed Noguchi Institute’s precision ADC technology. WACKER launched Contract Research Services for nucleic‑acid medicines.
WuXi Biologics posted record 2025 results with margin expansion and a US$23.7bn backlog. ESG visibility increased via an EcoVadis Platinum Medal and inclusion in the S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook 2026.
Global reach widened via a Qatar Free Zones Authority MoU. European sourcing tightened with a sole distribution partnership with Seqens. Local formulation access improved through an Open Pharma Lab in Yokohama. Amid CGT headwinds, CELLforCURE is seeking a buyer for its Les Ulis site.
Top 5 companies involved as owner and/or investor in current and planned CDMO projects:
Merck , Sandoz , Lonza , WACKER , Novo Nordisk , WeylChem , AGC , Arxada , PCI Pharma Services , and Biovac .
