CDMOs’ Critical Role in a Rapidly Evolving Biopharma Landscape

Summary:​​ In an engaging interview with Endpoints News’ John Carroll, Catalent CEO Alessandro Maselli shared his own insights around the company’s pending $16.5 billion sale to Novo Holdings and its potential to have a transformative impact on customers, employees, and Catalent’s robust pipeline. Maselli highlighted the deal’s resounding shareholder approval driven by the immense growth opportunities and a strong alignment with Novo Holdings’ mission. He reaffirmed the company’s steadfast commitment to its customers, attributing customer loyalty to Catalent’s high quality assets and top-tier customer service.

Reflecting on Catalent’s dynamic journey, Maselli discussed the rapid scaling of vaccine production during the pandemic and the subsequent adaptation to shifting demand. Despite these challenges, Catalent achieved remarkable milestones, including securing significant approvals like partner Sarepta’s DMD gene therapy and delivering impressive double-digit growth in Q1 2024. Looking forward, Maselli and Carroll explored upcoming challenges such as the Biosecure Act’s impact on Chinese manufacturers and Catalent’s strategic plans for navigating future acquisition opportunities post-deal.

FEATURED SPEAKER

Alessandro Maselli was appointed Catalent’s President and Chief Executive Officer and joined the Board of Directors in July 2022. He previously served as the company’s President & Chief Operating Officer since February 2019. Mr. Maselli joined Catalent in 2010 as Director of Operations at Catalent’s pharmaceutical, nutritional and cosmetics plant in Aprilia, Italy. In 2013, he was appointed General Manager of Zydis® operations at Catalent’s facility in Swindon, U.K, in 2015 he became Vice President of Operations, Europe, for Catalent’s Drug Delivery Solutions business unit, and in 2016 he was named Catalent’s Senior Vice President, Global Operations.

Prior to Catalent, Mr. Maselli held operational and business leadership roles at Alstom and SGS. From 1998 to 2006, he held roles of increasing responsibility from process engineer to operations director at ABB. Mr. Maselli began his career as an automation systems engineer in the food industry.

A native of Italy, Mr. Maselli earned bachelor and master degrees in electronic engineering from the University of Rome.

MODERATOR

John D. Carroll is a biotech analyst and writer with decades of prize-winning experience in journalism. A co-founder of Endpoints News, he has covered biopharma for the past 15 years. Aside from his daily industry coverage for FierceBiotech, where he was named editor in 2003, leaving in 2016, Carroll has been a regular speaker at biotech events around the globe. He’s been quoted by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Financial Times, The Times of London and more. He’s also keynoted at biotech gatherings around the world and addressed student audiences at MIT and Harvard. Carroll has contributed stories from Central America and Ireland to the Dallas Morning News and Time and wrote for the Houston Press. He spent 6 years as editor and publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, was publisher of Texas Business and early in his career was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team of reporters and editors at the Kansas City Star & Times.