Reflections from Animal Health Innovation USA 2025
As I stepped into the conference hall in Boston, I overheard an investor say, “The next billion-dollar biotech might just come from the animal health sector.” That sentence stuck with me and set the tone for what would be a dynamic and revealing experience at Animal Health Innovation USA 2025.
This wasn’t just another industry gathering. It felt like a convergence point. A moment where the veterinary pharmaceutical world is beginning to mirror the urgency, innovation, and investment energy we typically associate with human health.
Over two packed days, it became clear: animal health is undergoing a transformation.
- The global animal health market is on track to hit $100 billion by 2030.
- 360 major animal disease outbreaks over the past decade signal growing public health risks.
- With 2,600+ investors and average startup funding at nearly $39 million, the sector isn’t just innovating. It’s attracting serious capital.
- Investment and time required to bring a animal health product to market, typically, is much lower than a human health product. This results in superior return metrics.
Behind these numbers is a very real need: better medicines for animals, faster diagnostics, and smarter manufacturing to keep pace with rising demand across both pet care market with explosive growth and livestock market.
A Seat at the Table: My Panel Experience
I had the opportunity to speak on a panel titled “Moving the Needle in Manufacturing.” What struck me most was how aligned we all were on one point: manufacturing is no longer a back-end function. It is a strategic & essential lever for innovation and commercial success.
During the discussion, I shared how contract research, development and manufacturing organizations (CRDMOs) are helping animal health companies move with the kind of agility and scale the industry has never had before. This is especially critical in a sector where navigating regulatory complexity and ensuring product stability— across all dosage forms, whether small or large molecule —can make or break a launch and subsequent commercial sustainability.
One panelist put it bluntly: “We need to stop treating veterinary manufacturing like an afterthought. It’s time we brought the same scientific rigor and quality standards from human pharma into this space.” I couldn’t have agreed more.
Why the Pressure to Innovate Is Rising
Several themes emerged during the event, and they resonated deeply with our work at Syngene:
- Zoonotic threats are blurring the line between animal and human health
- Pet ownership is at an all-time high, and expectations & options for care are rising fast
- Sustainability is no longer optional, and greener production processes are a must
- Regulatory hurdles are growing more complex, making global expertise in compliance a vital asset
These challenges are forcing companies to rethink how they bring products to market and who they choose as partners.
The CDMO Advantage in Animal Health
In my role at Syngene, I’ve seen firsthand how specialized CRDMO support can bridge the gap between discovery through commercialization creating a meaningful & sustainable market impact.
Take our partnership with Zoetis, where we helped manufacture the drug substance for a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that treats osteoarthritis in dogs. Or our work on a complex antiparasitic tablet—a formulation challenge that required balancing multiple APIs, ensuring adherence to strict regulatory guidelines, palatability, and maintaining adequate shelf-life.
As we know – In animal healthcare development, the ability to formulate and manufacture stable, content-uniform, flavored multi-API clinical tablets and matching placebos within six months exemplifies the agility and streamlined processes required to meet urgent therapeutic needs.
In companion animal formulation development, meeting the challenge of stabilizing hydrolytically labile actives at microgram doses in a multi-drug combination demands innovative strategies—such as novel polymers, DOE-driven design spaces, palatability screening, discriminatory dissolution media, analytical texture analysis, and rigorous identification of critical process parameters—to enable rapid, scalable production of stable, content-uniform dosage forms at commercial scale
These are not one-size-fits-all solutions. They are the result of deep collaboration, rigorous science, and an ability to scale fast without compromising on quality.
Looking Ahead
Attending Animal Health Innovation USA 2025 reaffirmed something I’ve felt for a while. The future of veterinary medicine will be built not just in R&D labs, but also in the manufacturing suites and in cultivating strategic partnerships that bring innovation to life at scale.
For companies navigating this space, the right CRDMO can be more than a service provider. They can be a true innovation partner.
If you’re working on the next breakthrough in animal health, we’d love to help you bring it to life. Explore our Animal Health Capabilities and learn more about our Small Molecule Solutions.
Let’s advance animal health, from molecule to market. ANIMALS FIRST!
Author
VP, Development Services
