At the DCAT Member Company Announcement Forum, held March 23, 2026, at DCAT Week, Jennifer Cannon, President of Commercial Operations for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Pharma Services business, outlined the company’s global investment strategy aimed at expanding capacity, accelerating timelines, and advancing digital capabilities across the company’s CDMO network. 

Cannon announced that Thermo Fisher will invest approximately $1 billion in 2026 across its global network of 60 CDMO sites. The investment is designed to address growing industry pressures, including supply chain constraints, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasing demand for complex biologics and advanced drug-delivery formats. 

A central focus of the investment is expanding capacity in high-demand areas. Thermo Fisher plans to add sterile fill–finish capabilities across its global network, including new prefilled syringe, vial, and cartridge lines, along with auto-injector assembly capacity. Notably, expansion efforts will include the company’s Ridgefield, New Jersey site, recently acquired from Sanofi, which will also support a newly announced partnership with SHL Medical to scale autoinjector final device assembly using SHL Medical’s Molly platform. 

The company plans to add new development and commercial manufacturing lines across the US and Europe, alongside enhancements in packaging and serialization capabilities. In oral solid dose manufacturing, investments will focus on advancing tableting technologies and expanding laboratory capacity across key sites globally. 

Thermo Fisher is also scaling its drug-substance capabilities, particularly in biologics. Planned additions include 23,000 liters of single-use bioreactor capacity across sites in Switzerland and the US, alongside small-molecule manufacturing expansions in Austria. These investments reflect a broader industry shift toward more complex modalities and flexible manufacturing platforms. 

To support earlier-stage development and improve technology transfer, the company is establishing two new bioprocess design centers–one in Plainville, Massachusetts, and another in Hyderabad, India. These centers will enable closer collaboration between Thermo Fisher scientists and customers to facilitate process optimization and smoother transitions from development to commercial manufacturing. 

Clinical supply services are another key area of expansion. Thermo Fisher will invest in 26 of its 30 global clinical supply sites to enhance capabilities in packaging, labeling, distribution and logistics. Facility expansions in the US, Europe and Latin America will increase storage capacity, automation, and sample management infrastructure, all aimed at accelerating clinical trial timelines. 

Digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven capabilities form the third pillar of the company’s investment strategy. Thermo Fisher plans to allocate approximately $65 million toward digital infrastructure to support more than 2,000 ongoing clinical and commercial programs. These efforts include AI-enabled tools for deviation management, production planning, and tech transfer as well as expanded integration of data across development and manufacturing workflows. 

A key component of this digital strategy is the now-completed acquisition of Clario, which officially closed on March 24, 2026. Clario, a provider of clinical trial endpoint and data solutions, will be integrated with Thermo Fisher’s CDMO and CRO (PPD) platforms to enhance end-to-end connectivity—from clinical development through commercial manufacturing—improving data flow, clinical endpoint capture, and decision-making across the value chain.