Innovator companies prefer to work with integrated partners: Krishna Kanumuri

In a recent interview with Global Business Reports, Krishna Kanumuri, CEO and Managing Director of Sai Life Sciences, highlighted a growing industry trend: innovator companies are increasingly seeking integrated partners who can support them seamlessly from discovery through development and manufacturing. As an end-to-end CRDMO in India, Sai Life Sciences is well-positioned to meet this demand, offering faster development timelines and better knowledge transfer across project phases. Kanumuri also noted a global shift as companies look to diversify their supply chains and reduce reliance on China—an opportunity for India, which holds a relatively smaller market share but is rapidly gaining ground. Read the full interview below:

What are recent developments at Sai and key trends you have observed in the CRDMO space?
The CRDMO market, particularly in India, has seen significant growth in the recent times. A clear trend has emerged where innovator companies prefer to work with integrated partners. As the only true end-to-end CRDMO in India, we are positioned to meet this need. The demand for seamless phase transitions is growing, with integrated CRDMOs enabling better knowledge transfer and faster development. Companies are also working to reduce reliance on China and expand their global footprint. With a smaller market share compared to China, India stands to gain from this shift. Sai Life Sciences’ recent successful listing on the Indian Stock Exchanges provides us an opportunity to plan for the long-term.

What is driving the need for more integrated end-to-end services, or CRDMOs, in the market?
Speed is the biggest theme in the pharmaceutical space. Without the CRDMO model, each phase—whether from discovery to early development or development to commercial manufacturing—requires a handoff. Companies want to minimize the time spent onboarding new partners. With many companies pursuing the same targets, being first to market offers a significant advantage. While drug development once took eight–10 years, the industry now aims to achieve it in just 1,000 days. As a result, manufacturing and testing cycles are accelerating rapidly. The integrated CRDMO model is well established. Our strength lies in our ability to excel across the entire spectrum of discovery, development, and manufacturing.

What factors have allowed Sai to accelerate its growth?
Five years ago, we launched SaiNxt, an organization transformation initiative, which redefined our ambition and the pace at which we aimed to grow. We expanded globally, establishing a development site in Manchester and a discovery site in Cambridge, Massachusetts, while also building a new campus and facility in Hyderabad. Above all, we prioritize culture. We didn't acquire companies but grew from within.

What is Sai’s perspective on technology?
We are a technology-centric company and were one of the first to digitalize our manufacturing facility. We have made aggressive investments in digital platforms across the company, ensuring the full integration of systems from development to commercial manufacturing. We also invest in cutting-edge technologies like flow chemistry and high-throughput experimentation.

What are the company’s expansion plans?
The US and Europe remain the largest markets for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry, with a consistent demand for genuine partners who can accelerate drug development. This is particularly true for US-based companies, and therefore the US will continue to be a significant market for the foreseeable future. In 2024, we successfully passed two FDA inspections, each resulting in Establishment Inspection Reports (EIRs). Achieving EIRs is a critical milestone and serves as a 'ticket to play' in the global pharmaceutical landscape. We also recently acquired a partially built facility in Hyderabad, a key step in our ongoing expansion plans.

How can the pharma industry enhance supply chain resilience, and what is Sai’s approach?
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for building a more resilient supply chain. It requires a thorough analysis of each region's unique dynamics and the identification of key choke points. Resilience is developed on a product-by-product, service-by-service basis. Collaborating closely with our partners to pinpoint and address high-risk areas will be crucial—not only for us but for the entire industry. When bottlenecks are identified, we take proactive measures to either develop in-house solutions or collaborate with local partners to mitigate risks. Whenever a supply constraint or potential disruption arises, we work to backward integrate and regain control over critical processes.

What is Sai’s role in the industry as demand evolves?
We are committed to delivering high-quality service, investing in new technologies, and adapting as our customers' needs evolve. The key to success as a CRDMO is being where your customers want to be.
The CRDMO sector is poised for growth. While companies initially planned to invest more heavily in internal capabilities post-COVID, there remains a strong demand for flexibility. Businesses are scaling back internal operations and increasingly seeking to expand their external partnerships. Geographic diversification will play a critical role in building more resilient supply chains. Whether in regulated or unregulated markets, the shift away from over-reliance on China will benefit regions like the US, Europe and India.