Pharma Now Launches Global Conversation Series With CDMO Leaders to Decode the Industry's Next Chapter

MUMBAI, INDIA — September 24, 2026 — Pharma Now, a global pharmaceutical knowledge platform dedicated to sharing insights that shape the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing, technology, and leadership, today announced a new global initiative to engage Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) in candid, in-depth conversation about the state and future of their industry.

The initiative arrives at a pivotal moment for contract manufacturing. Outsourcing now underpins a substantial share of pharmaceutical production worldwide, and the CDMO sector is being reshaped at speed — by consolidation and private equity investment, by the rise of biologics and cell and gene therapy, by growing expectations around sustainability, and by rapid innovation in drug delivery devices and digital manufacturing. Much of the public conversation about CDMOs, however, remains confined to press releases and capability statements. Pharma Now's initiative is designed to go further, asking CDMO leaders directly about the decisions, trade-offs, and lessons behind the businesses they run.

At the center of this initiative is Inside CDMO: Behind the Glass, a new Pharma Now podcast series hosted by Michael Bani, Ravindra Warang, and Kadambari Bendre. Each episode brings a senior CDMO leader into an unscripted conversation about what it actually takes to build, run, and grow a contract development and manufacturing business today — spanning commercial strategy, industry consolidation, sustainability, and the design and human factors work behind modern drug delivery devices.

Hosted by Michael Bani, Editor-in-Chief, Pharma Now (US & Europe); Ravindra Warang, Editor-in-Chief, Pharma Now; and Kadambari Bendre, Marketing Head, Pharma Now.

Conversations already underway as part of this initiative include leaders from HIPRA Biotech Services, Meribel Pharma Solutions, and Phillips-Medisize, a Molex company — spanning biologics manufacturing, private-equity-backed consolidation, and advanced drug delivery device design.

“CDMOs are quietly running a huge share of the medicines the world depends on, but the people building those businesses rarely get to tell their own story. This is our way of pulling back the curtain — going beyond the pitch deck to understand what CDMO leaders are actually wrestling with, and what that means for the rest of the industry.”

— Ravindra Warang, Editor-in-Chief, Pharma Now

“Every guest in this series operates under a kind of pressure most industries never have to explain. There's no safety stock, no room to quietly fix a mistake before the client sees it. We call that condition 'behind glass' — and it's the thread running through every conversation in this series.”

— Michael Bani, Editor-in-Chief, Pharma Now (US & Europe), co-host of Inside CDMO: Behind the Glass

Pharma Now is inviting CDMO leaders, communications teams, and industry stakeholders interested in participating in the series — or in sharing perspectives on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector — to get in touch using the media contact details below. Episodes will be released on Pharma Now's platform and major podcast channels, with select conversations also featured around key industry events, including CPHI Milan 2026.

Listen and subscribe - Catch every episode of Inside CDMO: Behind the Glass on YouTube and Spotify.