PHARMACEUTICALS
Q & A with Lonza
We spoke with Jan Vertommen , head of commercial development at Lonza Small Molecules , after DCAT Week
What is your take on news and views from this year ’ s DCAT Week ? Any trends that stand out ?
DCAT provides a unique opportunity to meet the C-Suite level management of our large pharma customers . There are four main takeaways from my meetings with them .
First , they have a strong interest in securing process optimisation and manufacturing capacity at CDMOs for recently acquired products , due to increased M & A activity among them . For many acquired small molecule-based products , the manufacturing process needs further optimisation . Hence , development and manufacturing capacity are needed .
Second , sales projections for the acquired products are often far higher than if the product had remained in the hands of the acquired biotech company . As a result , increased manufacturing capacity at CDMOs in a relatively short time frame is often needed , which may be challenging to accommodate . Furthermore , in view of the strong M & A activity in the ADC field , many customers are looking for additional manufacturing capacity for the payload-linker portion .
Third , sustainability is clearly gaining importance in the CDMO relationship , moving from words to action and becoming a decision criterion in awarding new programmes . Sustainability engagements are becoming part of the contractual framework between CDMOs and larger pharma companies .
Lastly , funding remained a key discussion topic during our interactions with our large community of smaller biotech customers . While some positive funding signals were mentioned , many of them had or will have to make hard choices ranging from reducing R & D spending , focusing on the one commercial asset they have , to selling assets or simply ceasing activities .
What is your view on the current state of the pharmaceutical CDMO sector ?
Today , we are seeing more complex biologic-derived therapies on the rise , but small molecules still dominate the pharmaceutical industry . This is demonstrated by FDA approvals of NMEs in the past decade , with over 70 % represented by small molecule drugs . In addition , growth in the oncology drug sector is driving continued investment in HPAPI manufacturing .
At the same time , we are seeing an increase in interest in ADCs . The potential market for some of these products is significant , with blockbuster status expected for several . While delivering cytotoxic compounds directly to tumours remains the predominant mechanism , there is now growing interest in ADCs designed to stimulate the immune system , such as toll-like receptor ( TLR ) and stimulator of interferon genes ( STING ) agonists .
Bispecific ADCs are also starting to come of age , with the intriguing possibility of targeting two different antigens on a tumour at once . With this expected growth in the sector , there is an increasing need for capacity across all ADC manufacturing stages . Lonza has recently expanded a multi-purpose suite for manufacturing payloadlinkers to meet growing demand for these products .
On the production side , flow chemistry is another fertile field of growth . While not applicable for all APIs , there are significant advantages in some cases , such as handling reagents that would be hazardous in large volumes . We are active in this area of highly automated continuous processing using advanced reactor technologies .
What future trends do you anticipate ?
Like all industries today , artificial intelligence ( AI ), machine learning ( ML ) and robotics are driving the pharmaceutical industry forward . These new technologies can help address the growing demand to develop drugs faster and more efficiently . We are integrating digital technologies into the drug development and manufacturing journey .
From the DCAT presentations and discussions , it became clear that data availability to train AI-based systems is the key to success . In that respect , the vast databases related to material sourcing that CDMOs have may provide a unique selling point for AIbased route-scouting software .
Another growth area is the expansion of our spray-drying services for biologics targeted at respiratory delivery . This reflects the significant shift in the pulmonary drug landscape , with biologics now comprising nearly a third of the pipeline . Traditionally , protein-based therapies for respiratory diseases have relied on injections . This offering leverages dry powder inhalers , potentially offering a more patient-friendly and efficient delivery method . ●
DCAT
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30 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981