BioProcess Insider Interview: Emmanuel Ligner, Cytiva

Emmanuel Ligner,Chief Executive Officer, Cytiva; and Dan Stanton,Co-founder and Editor, BioProcess Insider.

Moderator: Dan Stanton, Co-founder and Editor, BioProcess Insider.

Featuring: Emmanuel Ligner, Chief Executive Officer, Cytiva.

In 2021, Cytiva collaborated with London’s Financial Times survey group to establish an annual biopharmaceutical industry resilience index. Ligner explained that his company spearheaded the project to quantify life-science leaders’ confidence in the industry and to identify areas for improvement. The inaugural survey collected impressions from more than 1,000 executives about supply-chain resilience, talent recruitment, research and development activity, manufacturing agility, and regulation. The industry scored an overall confidence rating of 6.6/10 in the initial index.

Results are forthcoming for the 2022 survey, but most respondents agree that the COVID-19 pandemic issued several “wake-up calls” to the industry regarding emergency preparedness and regulatory involvement. Ligner applauded pandemic responses such as the European Union’s development of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. He also thanked regulators for balancing flexibility and safety when considering changes in raw materials for bioproduction. Thus far, most respondents express optimism about continuing collaborations among drug makers, bioprocess suppliers, and regulatory authorities.

Responses also suggest that the industry is adapting to supply-chain volatility. The worst disruptions seem to have passed. Companies also have begun establishing alternative supply chains, and they are developing regional capacity for their own products.

Survey responses are less encouraging regarding biopharmaceutical talent, availability of which continues to fall short of industry demand. Effective education takes time. The industry can continue to foster a strong workforce by collaborating with academic centers from around the world to develop passionate technicians and researchers.

Cytiva also is assembling a comprehensive report about its progress toward sustainable operations. Despite the company’s growth, it still has reduced total carbon emissions by 5% since 2019, and 40% of Cytiva facilities now are supported by renewable energy. The current focus is on reducing packaging for new and existing products. Ligner also applauded an employee-led initiative to reduce water consumption during production of chromatography products, a program that brought significant savings in utilities while increasing product output.

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