24/7 BIOPHARMA - issue 1 / October 2024

FLAMMA USA

communication and invoicing – longer time and higher prices will not help you get to market.

ways though I have been told that Tesla drivers have now replaced BMW drivers as the most obnoxious on the road today! Regardless, technology is constantly changing and offers us multiple choices. Most CDMOs are looking to ‘expand their tool box’. Why is this? In order to stay relevant, you need to offer customers more options. Many car dealers have a plethora of options to look at. CDMOs are no different. By making investments back into themselves, they can continue to grow and improve. I see some car dealers move to a newly-built location, yet the car selection is the same and/or the dealer name changes. I have seen private equity (PE) backed CDMOs build new labs that cannot be used since they want to flip their investment to a new PE group and exit with a profit, which is the goal of any PE group. Good for them, but what does this do for the customer? At the end of the day, the choice is yours. There are many reputable CDMOs to select from. You have likely been contacted numerous times by a BD representative to set up a meeting. Do your due diligence. Get to know the team you will likely work with. Establish a solid working relationship based on trust and values. If you do this, your CDMO will work for and with you for a long time just as your car will. What car to select?

Service it regularly and it will run forever

Whether you carry out your own maintenance or have a good mechanic, you know that you must service your vehicle regularly. My father told me that your car will run forever if you do three things regularly – change the oil, spark plugs and anti-freeze. I can’t say he was wrong. It was good advice. He also said be sure to talk with the mechanic to be proactive in car care. Communication with your CDMO is probably the most important thing you can ever have. Being open and having transparent conversations regardless of the state of the project will serve you well. Establishing a relationship with the CDMO allows you to position your company to understand production schedules, timing, demands on resources at the CDMO and a host of other important items. It also allows the CDMO to understand, possibly anticipating, projected capacity requirements for the API requirements that seem to change weekly depending on the patient population, dose and indications. The innovator/CDMO relationship works both ways. It is critical for both parties to succeed. Risk must be shared. Working together as part of a team will allow candid dialogue that will ultimately lead to success. The drug candidate may fail its clinicals or the company may be purchased by another party, yet the relationship you established with your CDMO will allow you to work together in the future. This is just like bringing your new car to your old mechanic.

KENNETH DREW

Is new technology worth it?

Vice-President Flamma USA

Gasoline, diesel, hybrid or electric – what is the best? It depends on what you want. There are arguments both