The final day at CPHI Milan raised a broader commercial question about what it takes for pharmaceutical innovation to reach scale.

Day 1 focused on whether manufacturing capacity was the right fit, and Day 2 on the evidence behind capability claims. Today’s programme widened the lens to market readiness, whether the surrounding systems are prepared to support commercial use

This is the final Visiongain briefing from CPHI Milan 2026.

On the Radar

• Scale depends on more than manufacturing: funding, regulation and access can determine how quickly innovation reaches commercial use.
• Regional capability is changing where pharma can scale: stronger local manufacturing and supply networks are broadening the markets able to support sustained production.
• Patient need does not guarantee uptake: diagnostics, financing and treatment capacity can still limit access after approval.

Advanced therapies expose where infrastructure falls short

Advanced therapies make the gap between scientific progress and commercial readiness particularly visible.

Today’s CPHI panel, When Innovation Outruns Infrastructure, focused on manufacturing readiness, regulatory coordination, capital allocation and market readiness. A therapy can succeed scientifically while the systems needed to bring it into wider use develop more slowly.

Cell and gene therapies make that challenge acute. Commercialisation depends on specialist manufacturing, regulatory alignment, skilled teams and treatment infrastructure capable of supporting complex products.

Additional capacity can remove one constraint, but it will not necessarily shorten time to market if other bottlenecks remain.

Local capability is reshaping where pharma scales

Today’s Local Scale, Global Ambition session examined how manufacturers across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa are building domestic capability and stronger regional supply networks. Speakers included senior representatives from Fosun Pharma, Cipla and Piramal Pharma Solutions.

Local manufacturing can affect how companies respond to procurement rules, localisation policies, supply risk and country-specific regulation.

The discussion also pointed to a larger role for regional manufacturers in both domestic supply and wider competition. Companies that build scale locally can strengthen their position at home while developing capabilities that support broader expansion.

Population growth and healthcare spending may indicate demand, but commercial readiness also depends on whether local production and distribution can support sustained supply.

Health-system readiness shapes commercial adoption

Therapy availability does not guarantee patient access. Diagnostics, referral pathways, funding and specialist capacity can all determine how quickly an approved treatment reaches eligible patients.

The issue also featured in CPHI’s discussion on scalable care pathways for next-generation therapies in emerging markets. Dr Sabine Kapasi, CEO of Enira Consulting and a speaker on that panel, expanded on it in comments provided directly to Visiongain.

“One of the biggest barriers is that innovation and health-system readiness often move at different speeds. In emerging markets such as India, a therapy may be available, but timely access can still be limited by fragmented referral pathways, affordability, health insurance coverage, diagnostics and specialist capacity.”

Kapasi said access planning needs to happen alongside innovation rather than after a therapy reaches the market.

“What needs to change is how we plan for access: care pathways, financing and insurance coverage, diagnostics, and provider capacity need to be built alongside the innovation, not after it reaches the market.”

The commercial point is straightforward: a market can have significant patient need without yet having the systems required to support real-world uptake.

Health-system readiness should therefore be part of market assessment when companies judge where next-generation therapies can scale.

Visiongain Insight

Across three days at CPHI Milan, a consistent commercial challenge has emerged. Manufacturing capacity must be suitable, capability must be demonstrable, and the wider market must be ready to support adoption.

Scientific progress creates opportunity, but commercial success depends on whether manufacturing, regulation, financing and healthcare delivery can advance together. Strength in one area cannot necessarily compensate for weakness in another.

The strategic question is not simply where innovation or demand is growing, but where the capabilities and infrastructure are in place to translate that opportunity into sustainable commercial growth.

This concludes Visiongain Market Watch’s three daily briefings from CPHI Milan 2026.

From Visiongain

Visiongain’s healthcare, pharma and biotech research helps organisations assess where manufacturing demand is growing, which capabilities are becoming more valuable and how outsourcing, technology and supply-chain requirements are changing across the pharmaceutical value chain.

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• Antibody Drug Conjugates Contract Manufacturing Market Report 2026-2036
• Vaccine Contract Manufacturing Market Report 2026-2036

Press & Media Enquiries

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