Get more pharma outsourcing insight with our FREE newsletter From The Editor | May 26, 2026 By Jeffrey S. Buguliskis, PhD, Deputy Chief Editor, Outsourced Pharma A supply chain is less like a chain than a root system. Some roots are thick and visible: the primary CDMO, the lead analytical lab, and the preferred supplier. In contrast, others are fine as hair and buried deep: a reagent, a subcontracted test, a data handoff, an affiliate, or a backup site that was never truly independent.