EDITOR’S PAGE
Outsourcing: the changing scene
Tom Mulligan T
his year in my Editor’s page in sp2 Inter-A
Active I’ve discussed a
number of issues related to the theme of changes in pharmaceutical companies’ business strategies, issues such as whether Big Pharma actually knows what its best strategy is in terms of achieving its desired results, ie new drugs to market, for reduced expenditure, and followed this up with a look at how the large companies have drastically cut investment in their own R&D and manufacturing (thereby increasing opportunities for fine chemical companies and other suppliers to meet the pharmaceutical companies’ outsourcing needs) but have also looked to acquire specialist technologies more at the discovery end of the development spectrum. Such bids, for example, include the failed one by Roche for Illumina and the successful acquisition of Human Genome Sciences by GSK.
Fine chemicals resurgent? So are these Big Pharma strategies really having an impact on the fine chemical and related technology sectors? Recent announcements from some of the major suppliers would seem to reinforce that it is, as these companies respond to what they see as increased demand for certain pharmaceutical
intermediate and ingredient manufacturing services, particularly in the areas of solid-state technologies and high-potency API manufacture. Coupled with this are moves by the supplier companies themselves to provide a more integrated sourcing service, a prime example being that of AMRI as described by their president and CEO in the July/August and this current issue of sp2 Inter-A
Active. Almac is another company that has made similar moves
View the evidence You will find plenty of evidence for these trends when you visit CPhI Worldwide and its associated contract services exhibition ICSE in Madrid in October this year, where the major suppliers will be highlighting just how exactly they are responding to the new dynamics of the pharmaceutical development marketplace. A flavour of what to expect at this year’s events can be found in our preview article on page 40 of this issue, where companies’ new services are highlighted.
Agrochemicals too!
It isn’t just the pharmaceutical sector that’s doing more outsourcing of R&D and manufacture, as the agrochemical sector is
Tom Mulligan, MSc Editor - sp2 Inter-Active
experiencing an increased need for the services of suppliers with more potent agrochemical active ingredients being developed to meet demand for new crop protection products as a result of the pressures on food supplies due to world population growth. Evidence for these trends will be presented at our new event, The AgroChemical Conference 2012, in which keynote speakers from BASF,
Bayer CropScience and Syngenta, as well as DSM Innovative Synthesis and leading agrochemical sector consultants, describe the new needs of the market and changes in the R&D and manufacturing landscape in this sector. The AgroChemical Conference 2012 takes place at Newmarket Racecourse Conference Centre, which is near Cambridge, UK, and you can find out more on our website
www.avakado.eu. I look forward to seeing you there!
4 sp2 Inter-Active September/October 2012
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