Clarkston Consulting’s Anand Nataraj, Ingrid Herman, and Mary Trbovich recently attended DCAT Week 2025, held in New York City. The annual event brings together industry professionals, CMOs, CDMOs, CROs and other stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. This year’s theme focused on innovation, capacity expansion, and supply chain resilience – among other key trends – within the pharma and biotech industry. Below, our team shares their key takeaways from DCAT Week 2025. 

Key Takeaways from DCAT Week 2025  

The demand for bioreactors is growing exponentially. 

The demand for bioreactors is accelerating as biopharmaceutical innovation and manufacturing scale-up efforts intensify. To keep pace, CROs, CMOs, CDMOs, and API manufacturers are rapidly expanding capacity across key regions, including Europe, China, India, and the U.S. This global expansion reflects the industry’s commitment to supporting the growing pipeline of biologics, cell and gene therapies, and other advanced and emerging modalities. 

The therapeutic landscape is expanding. 

While oncology remains the dominant therapeutic area with sustained growth, the industry is seeing significant expansion in CNS disorders and obesity treatments. Meanwhile, GLP-1 receptor agonists, initially a “happy accident,” are now being explored for a wider range of applications, signaling further innovation in metabolic and other disease areas. 

We’re seeing significant investment in digital and technology. 

The pharmaceutical industry is making significant investments in digital technologies, with AI and machine learning playing a central role in optimizing operations. Companies are leveraging these tools for supply chain management, risk assessment, predictive modeling, and more – all efforts to enhance efficiency and resilience. Additionally, there is a strong focus on integrating risk management into corporate culture and building robust data infrastructures to support long-term digital transformation. 

There remains a key focus on supply chain resilience. 

Supply chain resilience remains a top priority for the pharmaceutical industry, with companies adopting proactive strategies to mitigate risks and enhance agility. From diverse sourcing and supplier risk grading to scenario planning and financial modeling, firms are strengthening their ability to navigate geopolitical and financial uncertainties. Concerns over tariffs have also driven some non-U.S.-based CMOs to explore U.S. manufacturing expansion to minimize customer impact. Meanwhile, AI-driven supply chain visibility beyond tier 1 suppliers is gaining traction, with major pharma companies piloting new data-driven approaches. Integrating risk management to address challenges like data fragmentation and emerging regulations will be key to driving long-term supply chain adaptability.  

Final Thoughts 

These four key takeaways from DCAT Week 2025 highlight the industry’s focus on expanding capacity, embracing digital and AI technologies, and enhancing supply chain resilience to better adapt and meet the needs of the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. Companies are making significant investments in innovative products and expanding their geographical footprint to ensure a robust and agile supply chain. To chat about these key themes or other trends in the pharma and biotech space, reach out to our team today.