Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | April 20, 2026 | wbjournal.com FOCUS H E A LT H C A R E BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer I nside Rentschler Biophar- ma's facility in Milford, a new liquid-handling robot is being installed to take over one of the most repetitive – and time-con- suming – steps in drug development: preparing and diluting samples for testing. For a process that can be repeat- ed thousands of times in bringing a single therapy to market, even small efficiency gains can ripple outward, shaving time off development and freeing up scientists for higher-level work. at kind of incremental speed is becoming a competitive necessity among contract development and manufacturing organizations, where Rentschler and other Central Mas- sachusetts CDMOs contend against hundreds of competitors across the country to work with pharmaceutical companies to bring drugs to market. "Our clients are asking for more data that we deliver to them, and they also want our insights about what that data is," said Gerrick Rodrigues, global head of IT at Rentschler. CDMOs' partnerships with phar- ma companies are long-term and resource-intensive. Bringing a new drug to market takes 10 to 15 years and up to $2.6 billion, according to Washington, D.C.-based Pharmaceu- tical Research and Manufacturers of America. Rentschler plays a significant role in that process, having contributed to nearly 25% of the 17 biopharmaceu- ticals approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023. Push for AI-driven automation Generative AI is expected to create up to $110 billion in economic value annually worldwide by speeding up drug development, according to a 2024 report by global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. at includes $28 billion for research and early discov- ery processes and another $25 billion for clinical development. e FDA's Center for Drug Eval- uation and Research has seen a significant increase in the use of AI throughout the drug product life cy- cle, leading to the creation of its AI Council in 2024. is push to- ward automation can be credited to drug develop- ment's diversifi- cation, including an increase in advanced gene therapies, cancer therapies, and biosimilars, said Joe Makowiecki, director of product management and process engineering, integrated solutions at Cytiva, a biotechnology company with a U.S. headquarters in Marlborough. At Rentschler, deciding the tasks PHOTO | EDD COTE Fast, accurate drug development For Gerrick Rodrigues, global head of IT at Rentschler Biopharma, implementing automation into drug development is a continuous, evolving journey toward efficiency: "There's not one end goal, but rather an activity that we're undertaking constantly and evaluating and adjusting." Rentschler Biopharma is harnessing AI-driven automation to stay competitive Joe Makowiecki, Cytiva director of product management and process engineering, integrated solutions

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