Biotech Experts to Outline Ways to Slash Production Costs
Biotech operators will learn strategies for lowering antibody manufacturing costs at the upcoming PharmSci 360 conference.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Healthcare
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Managing partner David Berry will deliver the closing plenary address at the AAPS PharmSci 360 meeting in New Orleans on October 28, 2026. The presentation will focus on shifting drug development economics through infrastructure investment and data-driven business models.
Why it matters
Operators in pharmaceutical R&D face intense pressure to lower development costs, which remain hampered by inefficient production and high-cost infrastructure. Berry’s focus on correcting these cost structures highlights the increasing necessity for data-led strategies to remain competitive in biotech scaling.
Industry benchmarks show that cell culture media accounts for 30% to 50% of antibody production costs, which currently range from $50 to $100 per gram. David Berry, who has founded 30 companies including seven with valuations exceeding $1 billion, aims to lower this to $10 per gram.
The players
David Berry
Managing partner of Averin Capital and founder of more than 30 companies who focuses on applying data-driven models to biotechnology.
Valo Health
A drug discovery and development firm that raised over $500 million during Berry's tenure as CEO.
Flagship Pioneering
A venture capital firm focused on the life sciences where Berry previously served as a general partner.
The details
Berry’s presentation addresses the operational necessity of integrating data-driven thinking into early-stage business models to fix drug development economics. By examining infrastructure investments that lower production-cost floors, such as reducing the dependency on expensive cell culture media, biotech firms may better manage capital constraints. His approach evaluates how emerging technologies can navigate the strict committee review processes required for project funding.
Timeline
October 25, 2026: The AAPS PharmSci 360 conference begins in New Orleans.
October 28, 2026: David Berry delivers the closing plenary address.
Market Landscape
The push to optimize pharmaceutical production follows a long-standing pattern of high-capital, low-margin manufacturing in biotech. Berry’s strategy challenges the current infrastructure paradigm established by the industry's reliance on costly cell culture media.
Biotech operators should evaluate their current production-cost benchmarks against emerging infrastructure-efficiency targets. Monitoring the adoption of data-driven modeling in drug development will be essential for managing competitive positioning as capital requirements for R&D continue to evolve.
The takeaway
Operators must prioritize infrastructure efficiency to reduce the cost-per-gram of biologics if they intend to scale successfully. Benchmarking current media and culture costs against emerging $10-per-gram targets is a critical exercise for any firm managing pipeline capital.
Further reading
For broader trends in pharmaceutical industry innovation and R&D strategies, see the latest analysis in Healthcare.
Source note: This article includes information reported by BioPharm International.
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