How Upperton Pharma Solutions is Redefining CDMO Partnerships

“For us, it’s not a transaction. It really is a partnership,” says Nikki Whitfield, CEO of Upperton Pharma Solutions.

Nikki Whitfield brings over three decades of pharmaceutical development experience to her role as CEO of Upperton Pharma Solutions. A chemist by background and self-described “formulator by heart,” she has significant experience developing sterile and non-sterile dosage forms for small and mid-sized pharma companies, including a tenure at Quotient Sciences, before taking the helm at Upperton in 2021.

In the latest episode of the PharmaSource podcast , Nikki shared insights on how CDMOs can better serve small and emerging biotech companies, highlighting the importance of flexible partnerships and scientific expertise in driving successful drug development programmes. Her perspective, shaped by experience on both sides of the CDMO relationship, offers valuable insights for companies seeking manufacturing partnerships.

Building a Next-Generation CDMO

Since taking investment from London-based PE firm Inflection, Upperton has undergone remarkable transformation. “We’ve grown from about 35 people to over 100, and we’ve also built a brand new facility,” Nikki explains. “It’s 10 times the capacity that we had previously, and it’s really specialised in delivering programs from preclinical through to registration and commercial.”

The expansion represents more than just increased capacity. “Throughout my career, I’ve really noticed there is a real need for CDMOs that are flexible and nimble and really want to form long-lasting relationships with their customers,” Nikki observes. “That’s something that has been a real cornerstone for Upperton as we’ve grown.”

Looking ahead to 2025, the company is further expanding its capabilities with a new sterile manufacturing facility. “The introduction of Annex 1 has really tightened the guidelines around sterile manufacturing, and we know that there are often long lead times associated with being able to get in and manufacture small batches for phase one and phase two,” Nikki explains. “We initiated a build of a sterile facility as a natural addition to our current capability.”

Understanding Small Biotech Needs

Upperton has deliberately positioned itself to serve small and emerging biotech companies, understanding their unique challenges and requirements. “Our ideal customers don’t have huge internal resources that can cover every base of development – formulation, manufacturing, analytical, regulatory, clinical,” says Nikki. “We can offer all of that to those types of customers and our values align really well with them, very collaborative, very science-led.”

The company’s approach emphasises deep engagement at all levels. “Our leadership team sit on all of the project teams so that our customers know that their projects are a priority and they have access to all levels of the organisation,” Nikki states. “I think that is our differentiator. We’ve built the footprint and have all of the process trains that our larger CDMO competitors have, but what makes us really different is the relationships that we build with our customers.”

This approach extends to handling technical challenges: “We really enjoy the passion that they bring for their molecules and their products, drug development processes and visions for their products in the future. Our project teams get really heavily involved in the science and get excited about the projects.”

Keys to Successful CDMO Partnerships

Drawing from her experience on both sides of CDMO partnerships, Nikki emphasises trust as the fundamental element: “It’s very difficult to hand your baby over to somebody else to develop. You want to know that they’re going to take good care of it, that you’re going to remain a priority within the organisation.”

Looking towards 2025, Nikki sees a shift in what companies expect from their CDMO partners: “Customers want from their CDMOs more of a relationship and not a transactional relationship. They want to know that the CDMO can help them solve problems, technical issues as they come along and really help them map out a pathway to commercialisation.”

She elaborates on the evolving needs of biotech companies: “Customers are definitely looking for… they have their eye on the end goal very early on in development. They need to be able to show their investors that they have a pathway to commercialisation that doesn’t involve changing CDMO many times.”

Nikki advises biotechs to look for CDMOs that can:

• Match their development speed
• Provide necessary technical expertise
• Demonstrate flexibility when challenges arise
• Show genuine passion for project success

“You’ve worked on this project for probably years before it gets to a CDMO,” Nikki notes. “You’ve been through the candidate selection or you’ve been through the asset acquisition. You’ve been through your early trials and you’ve seen it hit a target. You’re really passionate and emotionally connected to it, and you need to make sure that the team that you’re going to work with to get it into the clinic and beyond share that same passion.”

She emphasises the importance of seeing how partners handle challenges: “You only know that once you start really working with people and you hit your first bump in the road and how they respond to that and work with you through that. That gives you everything that you need to know about what’s going to happen further down the line.”