International Pharmaceutical Industry Journal speaks with Michele Guasti, Global Product Manager at Terumo Pharmaceutical Solutions Division. The discussion explores Terumo’s approach to integrated CDMO services and the evolving needs of the sterile injectable market.
Can you start by introducing Terumo Pharmaceutical Solutions and the CDMO services the company provides?
Terumo is a global medical technology company that was founded more than 100 years ago in Japan and is now present in more than 160 countries and regions. The company provides a broad portfolio of products and services for healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry. Within Terumo, the Pharmaceutical Solutions division supports pharmaceutical companies through a business-to-business model. The division combines expertise in CDMO services, primary containment and injection devices for parenteral products. This integrated model brings together polymer pre-filled syringe manufacturing and traditional CDMO services, such as fill-finish, through a single partner. As a result, we can support pharmaceutical companies in the development and manufacture of tailored solutions for sterile injectable products.
How is Terumo positioning its CDMO business within the increasingly competitive sterile injectable market?
The traditional CDMO model is to provide fill-finish services across a broad range of container types and materials. At Terumo, we take a more focused approach by processing our own proprietary primary packaging solutions. This is what we define as integrated CDMO services: the combination of primary packaging manufacturing (polymer PFS), aseptic filling, device assembly, such as autoinjectors, and final packaging within one coordinated offering. This model enables our partners to deliver drug substance to our facility and receive a finished product ready for market.
What are the benefits of combining primary container manufacturing, fill-finish services and device assembly within a single organisation?
The most immediate benefit is the reduction of supply chain complexity. Customers can work with a single point of contact instead of coordinating multiple suppliers, project teams, timelines and meetings. This simplifies project management, improves communication and can help reduce both costs and development timelines. This is particularly important in pharmaceutical development, where each stage is connected and delays in one area can affect the overall path to market. By integrating primary container manufacturing, fill-finish services and device assembly within one organisation, customers can reduce handovers, align technical decisions earlier and avoid unnecessary waiting times between development steps. Shorter and more predictable timelines are especially valuable for products with competitive launch windows, such as biosimilars, and for innovative therapies where patients, healthcare systems and pharmaceutical companies all benefit from faster access to reliable treatment options.
