At CPHI, Olivia Friett, editor of European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer spoke to Anil Kane, head of global technical & scientific affairs at Thermo Fisher Scientific, about what they were showcasing.
Thermo Fisher Scientific
In an industry defined by complexity, shifting regulations and increasing pressure to deliver therapies faster, the companies that make the biggest impact are often the ones able to simplify the journey. At this year’s CPHI, Thermo Fisher Scientific outlined how it is doing exactly that - bringing together infrastructure, expertise and now advanced AI to help biopharma partners accelerate development with greater confidence.
The company recently acquired Sanofi’s sterile drug product facility in Ridgefield, New Jersey - a move that Anil Kane describes as a natural extension of a strong, long-standing partnership.
“Our acquisition reflects our commitment to expanding US drug product capacity and meeting growing global demand for fill-finish and packaging services,” he said. “The addition strengthens our manufacturing network, enhances our ability to accelerate the delivery of essential medicines, and has brought over 200 skilled employees into our organisation.”
Now fully integrated into Thermo Fisher’s operations, the site specialises in sterile injectable therapies, including pre-filled syringes and liquid vials. While it continues to manufacture Sanofi’s existing portfolio, Kane notes that the company plans “to expand use of the site to serve the growing demand from pharma and biotech customers.”
This acquisition also works for the company’s broader platform: Accelerator Drug Development. This brings CDMO and CRO capabilities into one integrated model, supporting customers from early development and drug substance through to clinical trials and commercial distribution.
“Accelerator Drug Development is truly end-to-end,” Kane explains. “We bring everything together under one roof, saving time and improving efficiency, thereby reducing the overall cost of the drug development journey.” For smaller biotech firms without extensive internal infrastructure, the benefits are even more pronounced. “They may not have the in-house capabilities, expertise or resource pool. We support them from early stage, preclinical development through clinical trials and approval.”
The integrated model offers advantages for larger biopharma partners as well, who may blend in-house expertise with Thermo Fisher’s infrastructure to speed specific phases. Kane points to research from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development showing that customers using integrated services “can potentially reduce development timelines by up to nearly three years.”
Another key announcement at CPHI was Thermo Fisher’s growing use of AI and its new collaboration with OpenAI. Kane is clear that AI isn’t new to the organisation, “We have been developing AI- and ML-enhanced technologies, products and services for years”, but the partnership will expand the scale and accessibility of these tools across the company’s clinical research operations and more.
With this collaboration, the company is integrating advanced interfaces and APIs aims to streamline study start-up, improve site selection, enhance data quality and automate regulatory documentation. “Specific to clinical trial timelines,” he said, “we will deploy advanced AI capabilities to reduce cycle times and speed the delivery of new medicines to market.” He adds that combining human expertise with AI models has already yielded promising results, including an 84% reduction in vial particle rejection rates in a recent study at the company’s Monza, Italy facility.
Thermo Fisher is also embedding AI earlier in the development journey. OSDPredict, a digital toolbox launched this year, combines multiple AI and machine learning models to help predict formulation behaviour and overcome common challenges in small-molecule development. By delivering deeper insights earlier, Kane said: “it helps innovators save valuable APIs, shorten timelines, mitigate risks and better understand molecule behaviour.”
With regulatory expectations continuing to evolve across global markets, Thermo Fisher’s international network provides another layer of reassurance. Kane emphasises that “all our facilities have been audited and inspected by regulatory agencies in the US, EMEA, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China and more,” enabling customers to scale products and supply chains globally with confidence.
From expanding sterile capacity and introducing new bioproduction technologies, to integrating AI across clinical and development workflows, Thermo Fisher’s presence at CPHI underscored one central theme: reducing friction. By streamlining transitions between development phases, embedding intelligence at each step, and supporting companies of all sizes, the organisation is positioning itself for faster, more predictable and more resilient development journeys.