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:
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:
“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.
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.”
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: