2020 is here and we’re starting the New Year off right. We’re listening closer to – and learning more from – you, our customers.

Last November’s CPhI Frankfurt provided valuable insight into the challenges pharma companies either already face or want to head off.

So what were our customers & colleagues thinking about at CPhI?

What we heard from attendees echoed many of the themes we’ve been discussing throughout 2019, including:

• The increasing complexity & importance of regulatory compliance.
• The gains made in the field of peptides.
• Heightened attention to supply chain security.

Stronger Supply Chains
Much ink has been spilled on trade wars, Brexit and the general sense of uncertainty that seems to have settled upon global business decision-making these days. It has led to an uptick in supply chain security awareness, even among smaller pharma companies with relatively simple supply chains. Backward integration, secondary supplier qualification and multi-facility redundancy have all become increasingly important when evaluating options to strengthen supply chains.

Top-of-Mind Qualities
At CPhI Frankfurt, we heard that some of the traits which fundamentally set Neuland apart happen to also be top-of-mind among the decision-makers with whom we spoke. This was true of quality, certainly, and Neuland’s regulatory track record has always been a strength.

But it’s also true of Neuland’s business focus as a “pure-play” API provider. The fact that we don’t ever compete generically with our clients matters. It’s even more essential now in the vendor selection process as companies assess their supply chains. While for us it’s a 30+ year old approach to contract pharma, increasing trade ambiguities have raised the significance of our model in the eyes of our customers.

CPhI 2019 Had Laser-Focused Attendees
This year, customers visiting Neuland’s booth at CPhI tended to have a very clear idea of products and services they wanted to discuss. As buyers, they were further along the decision-making process, and it was clear they had done a great deal of prep work. Customers were very focused on well-defined agendas regarding the products & services they wanted. Attendees at CPhI spent more time in the Formulators section than the Regulatory section– an indicator that drug compound formulation challenges were a primary concern at the show.

Growing Opportunities in APAC and MENA
It’s always wonderful to catch up with our U.S. and E.U. customers. A large number of visitors from both the Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & North Africa (MENA) regions also stopped by our booth.

With the MENA pharma market set to grow to $60 billion, the region is characterized by “population growth, increased life expectancy, greater prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, and a greater prioritization of healthcare services among governments in the region.”

APAC has, of course, long been a growth market – and China has been a key driver in this. This is expected to continue, since China accounts for 20% of the world’s population but only represents 1.5% of the global drug market. There was an increased amount of APAC interest in our peptide APIs and peptide capabilities (discussed below). From Korea, in particular, we saw a great deal of interest in Rotigotine, a Parkinson’s compound. Some discussions we held centered around its potential use in patch formulations.

APIs & Indications of Interest at CPhI
What APIs and indications interested our customers the most? Many of the compounds in our portfolio and R&D pipelines were in great demand with requests for samples & DMFs, including:

Paliperidone
Paliperidone is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Edoxaban
Edoxaban is an oral anticoagulant drug used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with an irregular heart rate (nonvalvular atrial fibrillation).

Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic used to treat certain mental or mood disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and Tourette’s syndrome), and – when combined with other medication – can be used to treat depression.

Rotigotine
Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist medication used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome.

Apixaban
Apixaban is an oral anticoagulant medication used to treat and prevent blood clots, and to prevent stroke in people with atrial fibrillation.

Rivaroxaban
Rivaroxaban is an anticoagulant medication used to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, and prevent blood clots in atrial fibrillation or following hip or knee surgery.

Varenicline Tartrate
Varenicline Tartrate is a medication used to treat nicotine addiction. It is a high-affinity partial agonist for the α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtype (nACh).

Also of interest to attendees were some of Neuland’s other APIs, including:

Crisaborole
Crisaborole is a nonsteroidal topical medication used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis (eczema).

Elagolix Sodium
Elagolix is an oral GnRH antagonist medication used to treat pain associated with endometriosis. It is also under development for the treatment of uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding.

Tafamidis
Tafamidis is a medication used to delay loss of nerve function in adults with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP).

Peptides in Great Demand
We’ve been seeing growing demand for peptides, and CPhI was no exception. It’s not a surprise, given the industry’s increasing attention on their potential capabilities and pharma’s growing ability to resolve challenges with bioavailability while increasing the range of functional dosage forms.

We’ve talked a lot about peptides here on our blog (for example, check out this Guide to Sourcing Pharmaceutical Peptide APIs). This year, however, interest & demand has finally caught up to the potential of peptides. At the show, we had a great deal of interest in two of our R&D pipeline peptides – Liraglutide and Semaglutide – both of which are targeted at antidiabetic indications. We also experienced increased interest in Neuland’s peptide capabilities from other generics developers and contract manufacturers.

Interested in learning more about any of these APIs? Contact Neuland today.