George Ntortas

There is no such thing as a typical negotiation for an external manufacturing agreement. Every partnership is shaped by its own commercial realities. Does the CDMO have available capacity? What proportion of that capacity will the sponsor require? How many alternative manufacturing options exist? How complex is the manufacturing process?

While price negotiations often centre on the cost per unit, other significant cost drivers, including storage, logistics, packaging, waste, and inventory management, are frequently underestimated. Combined with the ongoing pressures of inflation, rising energy costs, labour shortages, tariffs, and raw material volatility, both pharmaceutical companies and their contract manufacturing partners are increasingly confronted with a difficult question: when is it appropriate to revisit pricing during an active contract, and how can those discussions be managed in a way that preserves trust and strengthens the partnership?  

For CDMOs, absorbing escalating costs can erode margins, constrain investment, and ultimately impact service levels. For pharmaceutical companies, unplanned price increases create budgeting challenges, commercial uncertainty, and potential supply chain risk. 

Join this interactive workshop to explore how Pharma companies and CDMOs are approaching mid-contract price adjustments while maintaining trust, transparency, and supply continuity.  

Key Discussion Points: 

• Recognise when mid-contract price adjustments are appropriate and understand how leading pharma companies and CDMOs assess cost drivers, supporting evidence, and pricing transparency.
• Explore contract structures that reduce future disputes, including escalation clauses, index-linked pricing, governance frameworks, and mechanisms for sharing risk.
• Learn how to preserve long-term strategic partnerships by balancing commercial sustainability, supply security, and collaborative negotiation in an increasingly volatile market. 

Take a break from the afternoon agenda for an exclusive industry unveiling. Be among the first to witness the launch of a ground breaking new solution designed to transform how pharmaceutical companies identify, evaluate, and select contract manufacturing partners. 

Ahead of the conference, we launched a delegate survey to gather insights on what participants hoped to gain from the three-day event, as well as the key challenges currently facing pharma contract manufacturing. The survey explored critical topics such as supply chain disruptions, the impact of geopolitical tensions, and the ongoing debate between localisation and centralisation.