DCAT Week 2026: Building a Sustainable Supply
As sponsors navigate the complexities of a global supply environment, partnering with CDMOs who can anticipate issues and optimize processes is essential to avoid unnecessary cost hurdles, notes Kent Payne from Wilmington PharmaTech.
“Over the past decade or so, we’ve evolved a thesis that really revolves around geographical diversification,” specifies Kent Payne, PhD, Managing Partner and Board Member for Wilmington PharmaTech. Various issues have arisen within the industry, such as from the recent geopolitical turmoil and also COVID, that have impacted supply chains and demonstrated an over-reliance by some within industry on single-source opportunities, he continues.
“We live in a global environment, and no-one can foretell exactly what might happen from one period of time to another,” Payne asserts. “So, it’s always best to make sure there is a redundancy, if you will, within your supply chain, and a focus on a long-term supply chain diversification and geographic diversification in particular.”
Focusing on how CDMOs can help sponsors with securing their projects over the long-term, Payne points out a few important considerations to bear in mind. “For long-term sustainability, it really comes down to expertise in process development and process scale-up,” he says. “But when it comes to supply chain, and as a sponsor heads to commercial, the key is to partner with people who have sophistication, history, and understanding, and who can anticipate and plan in such a way to optimize processes so that the sponsor doesn’t suffer from unnecessary cost disadvantages later on when approaching the commercial stages.”
Looking toward DCAT Week, Payne reveals his excitement for the event, viewing it as an opportunity to have conversations with colleagues and prospective clients and partners about the potential for growth and bringing API to the U.S. “We believe that we’re very well positioned because of our existing capability and our more than 50-acre area for expansion,” he states.
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About the Speaker
Kent Payne, PhD, is the Managing Director and a Member of the Board for Wilmington PharmaTech, and is also an Operating Partner for Curewell Capital. Kent is a three-time CEO and has worked across both the pharma and services side of the industry.
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