The pharmaceutical industry faces increasing complexity in drug development and clinical supply, particularly for small and mid-sized biotechs that struggle to find partners offering both technical expertise and personalized attention. Experic was founded to bridge this gap, providing a unique combination of GMP-compliant clinical supply services, cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities, and hands-on collaboration. With a purpose-built facility in Cranbury, New Jersey, featuring advanced encapsulation and inhalation drug expertise, Experic offers customers a seamless, transparent development experience. Its integration with Harro Höfliger’s state-of-the-art equipment and focus on flexibility allow it to compete with larger CDMOs while maintaining a customer-first approach. In this Q&A with Pharma’s Almanac Editor-in-Chief David Alvaro, Ph.D., David Wood, Experic’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, discusses the company’s origins, key differentiators, and vision for the future of clinical supply and inhaled drug development.
David Alvaro (DA): Experic was founded with a unique vision — combining GMP-compliant clinical supply services with a showcase for Harro Höfliger’s equipment. How has that vision evolved under your leadership, and what differentiates Experic in the CDMO and clinical packaging markets?
David Wood (DW): Experic was founded by Jeff Shane of Harro Höfliger and Jeff McMullen, founder of PharmaNet, who saw an opportunity to build a GMP-compliant U.S. facility to showcase Harro Höfliger’s high-tech pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment, which previously required customers to travel to Germany. The solution was a facility that combined clinical supply services with a live demonstration space, allowing customers to see equipment in action within a real GMP environment.
Since taking the helm in 2021, my focus has been on expanding our capabilities to align with evolving customer needs. We’ve increased storage capacity, expanded into spray-drying, high-potency handling, and drum-filling, and are opening a distribution facility in Ireland to streamline EU clinical trial logistics. These expansions ensure we offer seamless, end-to-end supply chain solutions.
What truly differentiates Experic is our combination of expertise and equipment — particularly for inhaled drug development. Many smaller CDMOs either lack the specialized technology or the scientific know-how, while larger players prioritize big pharma clients. We fill that gap, providing small and mid-sized companies with direct access to senior leadership, a high-touch, responsive service model, and the flexibility to handle urgent requests.
The same applies to our clinical packaging services. We deliver white-glove service with superior communication, project management, and execution. If a customer’s vendor fails and they need a project completed within a week or two, we make it happen — without any drop in quality. Our ability to provide personalized, agile support makes us an ideal partner for emerging biotech and mid-sized pharma companies that wouldn’t get the same level of attention from the industry’s biggest players.
DA: Can you expand on what’s unique about the Harro Höfliger filling equipment and the other key technologies at the Cranbury facility?
DW: Harro Höfliger’s technology excels in delivering highly accurate low-dose fills, precisely dosing as low as 3 milligrams — critical for inhaled drugs. Its vacuum-based drum-filling system ensures consistency and scalability, allowing seamless transitions from lab-scale to commercial production without process changes.
We’ve also invested in specialized equipment for handling potent APIs, including a fully contained encapsulator with inline in-process control for precise fill weight verification and capsule dedusting to prevent contamination. A wet-in-place system enhances safety by misting and capturing residual powder for disposal. Our facility is designed to offer cutting-edge, scalable solutions, supporting customers from development through commercialization.
DA: How has innovation expanded dry powder inhaler (DPI) applications beyond asthma and COPD, and how is Experic positioned to support this growth in inhaled drug delivery?
DW: The inhalation drug market is evolving rapidly, driven by shifts toward niche molecules targeting smaller patient population and highly potent APIs, which are well-suited for DPIs. Recent advances have made DPIs more drug-agnostic, broadening their use beyond respiratory diseases. Companies are also shifting from oral solids and injectables to DPIs for better patient compliance and faster absorption. A decade ago, DPIs were often a last resort in the United States, but today they’re increasingly being chosen as the primary delivery method for certain APIs due to their bioavailability advantages.
Experic stands out by offering expertise in both drug and device development, without competing with customers on proprietary technology. Our ISO-certified facility ensures regulatory confidence, and our close partnership with Harro Höfliger enables rapid, customized DPI equipment solutions. As DPI adoption grows, we’re positioned to help companies bring inhaled therapies to market efficiently.
As DPI adoption continues to grow, Experic is well-prepared to help companies bring new inhaled therapies to market faster and more efficiently.
DA: Pivoting to clinical packaging and supply, what opportunities did Experic perceive that led to expanding into the space?
DW: One of the biggest things we hear from our customers — particularly small and mid-sized biotechs — is that they need personalized attention. That’s something we fully understand and prioritize.
The industry has seen a wave of consolidation, with large players expanding significantly. While they’ve historically dominated this space, their size and scale have made it increasingly difficult for smaller companies to get the attention they deserve.
Many of our customers tell us they just want to be able to pick up the phone and talk to someone who can help them — not be forced into an online portal or chatbot. When they have an urgent need — say, getting four kits to a clinic in Azerbaijan by tomorrow — they need a partner who can make it happen immediately. That’s where we excel.
Larger CDMOs tend to operate in a highly structured, automated way, which works well in some cases but doesn’t always accommodate last-minute changes or urgent requests. At Experic, we believe that customers are still customers — and that means responding with flexibility, urgency, and expertise, not just a standardized process.
For us, adding clinical supply services was a natural extension of our business. It allows us to provide seamless support from early-stage development through clinical trials, ensuring our customers have one trusted partner who truly understands their needs.
DA: What type of customers benefit most from partnering with Experic, and how do your integrated services support them from early development through commercialization?
DW: Our ideal customers are those who want to be actively involved in their manufacturing process. Unlike larger CDMOs, where customers are often kept at a distance, we encourage real-time collaboration — whether that means being in the suite, observing through our glass-walled facility, or adjusting parameters on the spot during a design of experiments (DoE) study. Our flexibility allows us to pivot quickly, test new conditions immediately, and provide overnight analytical feedback — giving customers real-time control over their drug development program.
That hands-on approach extends across our services. Many customers start with us for encapsulation or inhalation drug development, then seamlessly transition into clinical packaging and distribution. Having a single, trusted partner eliminates the complexities of managing multiple vendors and quality systems. Our recent expansion into the EU with a GMP depot in Ireland further streamlines this process, allowing us to support global clinical trials and, ultimately, commercial launch. Right now, we have five programs preparing for commercialization, and our serialization capabilities ensure we’re fully equipped to support them from clinical trials through market entry.
DA: Where does Experic provide the most value, and do customers typically engage early in development or when they encounter challenges?
DW: We’ve built our reputation as problem solvers, particularly in process development. Customers often come to us with a formulation that isn’t performing as expected, and we step in to diagnose and refine the process—whether that means powder characterization, real-time DoE adjustments, or optimizing encapsulation to ensure content uniformity. Instead of waiting weeks for answers, they get rapid, data-driven solutions.
On the clinical packaging side, our responsiveness is a major differentiator. We’ve stepped in to repackage, relabel, and ship urgent clinical trial materials within 24 hours — something larger CDMOs typically can’t accommodate. No job is too small, and that level of service builds trust, which is why many customers continue working with us across multiple programs.
Initially, we were brought in primarily as a specialist problem solver, but that’s changing. As we’ve raised our industry profile, more companies — including top 20 pharma — are reaching out earlier in development, recognizing that partnering with us from the start leads to a more seamless and efficient path to market.
DA: Looking ahead three to five years, what’s your vision for the company’s future?
DW: I see us continuing to grow in the inhalation space, particularly expanding into nasal drug delivery. While DPIs have gained momentum, nasal delivery is still a bit behind in terms of industry adoption. Many companies are just starting to explore its potential, though we’ve already seen increased awareness — especially with products like Naloxone for opioid overdoses, which has become a high-profile example of effective nasal drug delivery over the past 18 months. I’d love to see Experic play a larger role in advancing that space.
We also have physical room to grow. Our Cranbury facility includes an additional 25,000 square feet of expansion space, which we can customize based on customer needs — whether that means manufacturing, packaging, or additional storage capacity. That’s a key advantage as demand increases.
Beyond that, one of my biggest goals is seeing our five commercial programs successfully launch. Right now, these products are progressing through development, and I truly hope they achieve strong clinical results that allow them to move into full commercial production — with Experic handling both manufacturing and packaging at scale.
Ultimately, success for Experic means proving that we’re a true end-to-end partner —that a company can bring us a phase I product, and we can support it all the way through to commercial launch. Once we’ve established that track record, I think the industry will fully recognize what we’re capable of.
DA: Do you have any final messages you’d like to share?
DW: Culturally, Experic is all about the customer. While some CDMOs are heavily science-focused, sometimes to the point where customers feel like a distraction, our mission is different. We’re here to serve our customers, solve their problems, and exceed their expectations. That mindset is deeply embedded in our company culture. No matter who you talk to — whether it’s someone in quality, operations, or process development — the first thing they’ll tell you is how their work is centered on supporting the customer’s success.
That focus is a little unique in the CDMO space. Many CDMOs are filled with former Big Pharma executives who take pride in the drugs they developed in-house and measure success by the products they helped launch. At Experic, we see ourselves differently. We are a service company first and foremost, and our team thrives on the variety and challenges that come with working on diverse projects.
People here aren’t tied to just one drug or program for years at a time. Instead, they get to work on a broad range of innovative projects, constantly tackling new challenges and finding solutions. That energy and adaptability are part of what makes Experic such a valuable partner —and such an exciting place to work.