Advancing Pharma Innovation & Drug Development | Thermo Fisher Scientific | ISPE 2026 | Pharma Focus Asia
Koji Tanimoto
Senior Director, Head of Business Development APAC, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Koji Tanimoto is Senior Director of Biotech Account Management (APAC) at Thermo Fisher Scientific's Pharma Services Group. Previously, he served as Senior Director and Head of Business Development for Asia Pacific and Japan at Patheon, also holding the title of Director at Patheon. In Japan. Since 2020, he led business development across both Patheon's CDMO operations and Fisher Clinical Services' clinical trial division, driving integrated service sales to biopharma and biotech clients across the full development and manufacturing lifecycle.
At ISPE Singapore, our Pharma Focus Asia team met with Koji Tanimoto, Senior Director, Biotech Account Management, APAC at Thermo Fisher Scientific, to discuss the evolving pharmaceutical and biotech landscape across Asia-Pacific.
From the region’s growing innovation pipeline and increasingly complex modalities to integrated development and manufacturing, Tanimoto shares his perspective on how biotechs can reduce complexity, accelerate development and select the right partners to bring medicines to patients.
Key Takeaways
- APAC is emerging as a source of global innovation: The region is increasingly generating strong scientific innovation for global markets, supported by growing investment and the integration of AI into research and development.
- Complex modalities are reshaping drug development: The growing pipeline of advanced biological entities, including cell and gene therapies and other complex modalities, is increasing the complexity of development and manufacturing.
- Translating innovation into executable programmes is critical: For APAC biotechs, generating innovative science is only the first step. Building a seamless, executable development programme with reliable partners will be increasingly important for growth.
- Integrated CDMO and CRO capabilities can reduce handoffs: Tanimoto highlights Thermo Fisher Scientific’s integrated CDMO and CRO offering, supported by its Patheon and PPD businesses, as a way to minimise handoffs and simplify development, supply chain and project management.
- Partner selection goes beyond manufacturing capacity: Biotechs should evaluate a partner’s track record in the relevant modality, GMP manufacturing experience, deviation management, site talent and regulatory approvals. Tanimoto also recommends visiting facilities and meeting the teams responsible for execution.
- CMC strength can support future licensing opportunities: Building a strong CMC package through reliable development and manufacturing partners can help biotech companies support their broader development objectives, including potential licensing opportunities.
- Speed should not come at the expense of quality: While accelerating development is important, Tanimoto emphasises that companies should not compromise quality or seamless execution simply to move faster.
The Bigger Picture
As pharmaceutical innovation across APAC continues to evolve, increasingly complex modalities and sophisticated development pipelines are creating new challenges for biotech companies. The ability to translate scientific innovation into an executable development and manufacturing programme will be critical.
Integrated partnerships that connect development, manufacturing, clinical supply and CRO capabilities can help reduce handoffs, simplify coordination and manage complexity throughout the drug development journey. At the same time, companies must balance speed with quality, regulatory requirements, scalability and long-term development objectives.
Watch the full conversation with Koji Tanimoto to explore the trends, challenges and partnership strategies shaping drug development across APAC.
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