During the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) made substantial investments in specialized therapeutic manufacturing. The quarter also saw CDMOs pursue high-value, complex manufacturing niches, particularly in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), cell and gene therapies (CGTs) and oligonucleotides.Alongside these trends, Q2 also saw CDMOs
strengthen their footprint in the United States amid concerns over rising
tariffs and unpredictable trade policies being enforced by the Trump
administration.Regeneron Pharmaceuticals committed over US$ 3 billion through a 10-year agreement with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies to nearly double its US manufacturing capacity for biologics. Under
this agreement, Fujifilm will manufacture and supply drug products for
Regeneron at its large-scale facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina.Thermo Fisher Scientific announced plans to invest an
additional US$ 2 billion in the US over four years, reinforcing its manufacturing and R&D capabilities. With 64 facilities spread across 37 states, Thermo Fisher aims to bolster American innovation and competitiveness. Similarly, Piramal Pharma announced a US$ 90 million investment plan for
expanding two facilities in the US, thereby bringing its total investment in
the country to US$ 570 million. View CDMO Activity Tracker for Q2 2025 (Free Excel Available)Veranova, Carbogen lead ADC wave; Axplora doubles down on HPAPI
production in ItalyThe quarter saw substantial investments
in ADC manufacturing. Veranova announced a US$ 20 million investment in bioconjugation development and cGMP manufacturing
capacity at its Devens, Massachusetts campus. With this investment, Veranova
will be able to provide a more comprehensive suite of services to its partners
developing ADCs and other bioconjugates. Veranova’s total investment in the Devens
facility now stands at over US$ 50 million. Swiss CDMO Carbogen announced
a US$ 31 million co-investment with
an unnamed Japanese investor to expand its capabilities across its Aarau and Neuland (Switzerland)
facilities. The facility will address increasing demand for complex and
high-value compounds such as ADC drug linkers.Axplora announced a further €35 million (US$ 41 million)
expansion of its Farmabios site in Italy,
doubling the facility to approximately 108,000 square meters by mid-2026. This investment raises its total spend on the site to over €80 million (US$ 94.05 million) since 2019, supporting the production of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs). Farmabios now stands as a key hub in Axplora’s global CDMO network.Polish pharmaceutical manufacturer Polfa Tarchomin is positioning itself as a significant
player in the European CDMO market through its
investment in the Center for Development and Production of Highly Potent Drugs.
This 12,000 square meter facility has two
state-of-the-art production lines designed for filling vials and pre-filled
syringes with an annual capacity of 26 million product units.Skyepharma’s projected annual revenues from oncology-linked
activities touched €10 million (US$ 11.2 million). The CDMO’s facility in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier is equipped to handle cytotoxic and cytostatic compounds, and is one of the few facilities in France capable of managing HPAPIs for oral anticancer treatments. View CDMO Activity Tracker for Q2 2025 (Free Excel Available) Athena acquires Medipha Santé, Famar buys MiP Pharma’s German site to strengthen European footprintDuring the quarter, several CDMOs enhanced their strategic capabilities through M&As. Athena Pharmaceutiques acquired
Medipha Santé to build a fully integrated pharmaceutical services platform in Europe. Based in Paris, Athena has strengthened its commercial and regulatory toolbox by bringing aboard Medipha Santé’s 35-strong team, which supports over 100 partner organizations and files approximately 350 dossiers annually with ANSM and other European agencies. With this integration, Athena positions itself as a one-stop CDMO partner.With the acquisition of MiP Pharma’s sterile manufacturing site
in Homburg, Germany, the Famar Group has expanded its capabilities in aseptic and lyophilized fill-and-finish operations. The acquisition has strengthened Famar’s position in sterile drug manufacturing. The CDMO now has seven manufacturing facilities in Europe.PCI Pharma Services’ acquisition of Ajinomoto Althea has established a world-class, large-scale
manufacturing hub in the San Diego region with state-of-the-art aseptic
facilities for prefilled syringes, cartridges and high-potent formulations such
as ADCs. PCI Pharma is now amongst the few US-based CDMOs
capable of comprehensive ADC manufacturing.Samsung Biologics’ strategic spinoff of its biosimilar business stood out as a significant corporate restructuring exercise during the quarter. The separation of Samsung Bioepis, tentatively renamed Samsung Epis Holdings, aims to enhance Samsung Biologics’ strategic focus and build client trust, as it eliminates potential conflicts between CDMO services and proprietary drug development. The move came after Samsung Biologics inked a contract worth 737.3 billion Korean won (US$ 518 million)
with an undisclosed US pharmaceutical company.WuXi Biologics announced a US$ 167 million divestment of its German
facility to Terumo and broke ground on a microbial production
plant in China. National Resilience, which was launched five years ago as the
US drug manufacturer dedicated to broadening access to medicines and
protecting biopharma supply chains, said it is shuttering six of its 10 facilities. The company said the sites were “not being fully utilized.” View CDMO Activity Tracker for Q2 2025 (Free Excel Available) MilliporeSigma, Simtra form
5-year ADC alliance; Silexion partners Catalent for siRNA developmentMerck KGaA’s MilliporeSigma and Simtra struck a five-year strategic alliance, combining
expertise across the ADC value chain to reduce development timelines and
complexity for biopharmaceutical companies. Viralgen collaborated with Trogenix to rapidly scale product supply for TGX-007, an AAV gene therapy for glioblastoma (a type of cancer of the brain and spinal cord). Silexion announced a collaboration with Catalent for small interfacing RNA (siRNA) development and manufacturing. Catalent’s Limoges (France) facility will conduct formulation development and clinical manufacturing for Silexion’s SIL204 candidate, supporting both systemic and intra-tumoral delivery formulations.Skyepharma’s collaboration with Eneapharm through the
Skyehub platform aims to support the treatment of patients suffering from
exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, including those affected by cystic fibrosis
or pancreatic cancer. Orion Corporation reached an agreement with Shilpa Biocare for the
distribution of recombinant human albumin in Europe.Meanwhile,
Aenova announced the launch of its Aenovation program, an
initiative designed to fast-track early development of pharmaceutical
formulations. The program addresses the critical challenges of bioavailability
and time-to-market faced by poorly soluble drug candidates. View CDMO Activity Tracker for Q2 2025 (Free Excel Available) Our view The quarter saw CDMO
developments mimic the broader trends in the pharmaceutical industry, such as
onshoring of critical manufacturing capabilities in the US, consolidation of
specialized expertise through strategic partnerships, and the relentless focus
on emerging therapeutic modalities that promise to transform patient care. With
CDMOs continuing to invest in next-generation manufacturing capabilities, we
expect the sector to play a crucial role in drug innovation.
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