Maximizing Value from Your CDMO Partnership: Best Practices and Insights

Strategic partnerships with Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) have evolved from simple outsourcing arrangements to critical competitive advantages. As the CDMO sector transforms—now increasingly serving smaller biotech firms with limited manufacturing capabilities—selecting and managing these relationships has become a defining factor in development success.

To learn how to best establish and maintain these critical relationships, we spoke with Dr. Kenny Duncan, a senior pharmaceutical executive with over 20 years of experience leading innovative drug discovery programs. 

Here are three key elements Dr. Duncan believes contribute to successful long-term CDMO collaborations:

Start Strong: Evaluating and Selecting the Right CDMO Partner

The foundation of any successful CDMO partnership begins with a rigorous, transparent initial selection process. For Dr. Duncan, this critical first step centers on honest communication and comprehensive evaluation.

“The most important thing is making sure that the beginning of the process, your first point of contact, is really open and honest,” he said, explaining a number of key considerations in the early stage, including:

• An honest assessment of capabilities
  Red flags emerge when potential partners seem unwilling to acknowledge limitations. “Any potential partner has to be honest about their capabilities. Being able to say you can do whatever the client needs should be an immediate turn-off," Dr. Duncan cautioned, recommending that companies look beyond lists of equipment and facilities to focus on the actual delivery capabilities of any prospective partner.“
  
  Having a huge list of all the techniques and rooms—that's wonderful. But what can your team actually do? What are they capable of delivering? That level of honesty is crucial.”
• Geographic and cultural alignment
  As we explored in our article on the benefits of a North American CDMO, the location of a partner can have a significant impact on collaboration and success. North American partners like GL CHEMTEC, for example, offer not just logistical advantages but also regulatory familiarity and cultural alignment that streamline collaboration from day one.
  
  

  “Just being in the same time zone brings so much relief,” he noted. “It eliminates the need for late-night calls and makes collaboration more fluid and effective.” Moreover, geographic proximity enables frequent site visits, allowing for hands-on engagement and a deeper understanding of the CDMO's operations and culture. 

Integrate Your CDMO Into Your Team

While careful selection creates a solid foundation, the true value of a CDMO partnership emerges when integration between teams becomes seamless.

“Try to have your CDMO partner be part of the internal team as much as possible,” Dr. Duncan said, explaining that the key is ensuring that team members from both organizations meet and develop relationships early. “It’s important for everybody to meet and to feel like they’re part of the team. No matter what discipline you're in—chemistry, manufacturing, biology—you have to build that partnership.”

Regular meetings with consistent participation from both sides maintain momentum, while shared documentation systems provide transparency into project status. As we touched on in our first article in our "Building Successful CRO/CDMO Partnerships Series," addressing who will do the work, when, where it will be done, and how the process will unfold, should all be determined upfront in initial planning meetings.

"Establishing communication protocols and alignment of project management requirements is absolutely crucial,” Dr. Duncan said. “Your internal company's project manager probably has a thousand additional things to think about, and the work with the CDMO is just one part of a much larger Gantt chart."

Transparency remains the critical underpinning of this collaborative approach. “Being honest is critical,” Dr. Duncan explained. “It's about creating an environment where both parties can be transparent about constraints and potential obstacles. Whether it's our budget or project timelines, being upfront creates realistic expectations."

Transparency about risks and challenges, he believes, can lead to better problem solving, ultimately avoiding costly mistakes. “Misunderstandings happen when teams aren't fully transparent about what's going on, so share the pressures you're getting from your board or clinicians. When your CDMO understands these external factors, you can work together to find solutions,” Dr. Duncan said.

“When communication feels reciprocal, you create a partnership that can handle inevitable challenges—technical or otherwise—because both sides are equally invested.”

Develop Strategic Resilience in CDMO Partnerships

With communication frameworks established and teams aligned, forward-thinking companies then build strategic resilience into their CDMO relationships to navigate industry challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Dr. Duncan suggested several approaches that can help maximize the long-term value of CDMO relationships, including:

• Maintaining technological ecosystem awareness
  The highest-value partnerships come from CDMOs that understand how capabilities integrate across the entire development journey.
  
  “The range and type of modalities people are working on is continuously evolving,” Dr. Duncan explained. “It's important to think about the global ecosystem of what's actually getting dosed to patients, what technologies are involved, and how to partner with organizations that have complementary expertise.” 
  
  This holistic perspective prevents costly disconnects between development stages and ensures seamless progress.
• Balancing innovation and delivery
  While sustainability and emerging technologies like AI offer exciting possibilities, Dr. Duncan emphasized the importance of execution excellence. “We should all be tracking sustainability and technological advances,” he said, “but ultimately, a CDMO's ability to deliver should always be your primary concern.” 
  
  The right partner combines forward-thinking approaches with proven reliability, ensuring you realize immediate value while positioning for future innovations.
• Finding a partner who can adapt to changing needs 
  “One of the key parts with so much flux in the system is the supply chain. To avoid disruptions, you need a CDMO with the flexibility and expertise to navigate challenges quickly,” Dr. Duncan said, citing his experience working with GL CHEMTEC as an example:
  
  “The team at GL CHEMTEC was particularly good at solving supply chain problems on our last program. Their ability to anticipate issues and adapt quickly was invaluable to keeping our project on track.”

GLC: Your Trusted CRO/CDMO Partner

GL CHEMTEC is passionate about your success and committed to solving your most complex chemistry challenges. We offer fast, flexible, cutting-edge solutions to take your medicinal chemistry and early-stage small-molecule routes to the next level. Our commitment to a collaborative partnership means we scale and adapt precisely to meet your evolving needs.

GL CHEMTEC provides:

• A secure North American alternative to overseas providers, offering R&D labs, Kilo labs and scale-up facilities in the Greater Toronto area
• A local partner who will ensure secure shipping, real-time communication and the highest levels of IP protection for your early stage work
• A highly customer-centric culture with a 20+ track record of success
• ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certifications
• A GMP Cleanroom with GMP Reactor Suites coming online soon