Sector highlights: Juniper Pharma Services interview

Here, Claire Madden-Smith, SVP at Juniper Pharma Services, tells us about the opportunities, challenges and trends for 2017.

1. What has been the biggest opportunity of 2017 for your company/organisation?

The demand on the CDMO sector remained strong, giving us the ability to continue to affect our strategic growth plans investing in people and capital equipment to further support our clients’ needs and strengthen our alliances.

2. In your opinion, what has been the most important innovation for the year?

We have started to work on a number of innovative areas this year which look exciting - but we are not in a position to disclose them yet! Within the industry the continuation of the growth of products and research in precision medicines continues to astound, the era of personalised medicines is much closer.

3. Which factors have driven the biggest changes to the industry in 2017?

As the industry looks not only to outsource commodity services but also high-level expertise in R&D the CDMO sector is evolving at a rapid rate. As a result, it has been hot for acquisitions with some surprising takeovers. Consolidation in the CDMO sector is expected to continue at around 10-20% for the next few years.

4. What market trends have been influential for 2017?

Biotech funding remains strong, which has greatly influenced the need for outsourcing as many companies prefer the virtual model without the high overhead cost on facilities and technical staff.

5. What have been the biggest challenges of the year?

The high level of investment in Biotech companies comes with significant pressures to deliver clinical results as rapidly as possible, especially in many therapeutic areas where there is a significant unmet medical need.

The strong drive to get to the clinic within a year after lead identification, but quite often with molecules that have many development challenges, requires the CDMO industry to innovate streamlined approaches to smartly deliver products offering the best chances of clinical success. Developing and investing in a strong multi-discipline team has been and remains important to Juniper Pharma Services.