Triage, Don’t Ghost: A Smarter Way to Handle CDMO Cold Emails

Sarah Sink
May 4
4 min read

Updated: Aug 3

Practical strategies for clinical-stage biotech teams to manage vendor outreach with clarity, professionalism, and a little inbox sanity

In clinical-stage biotech, inboxes are flooded daily with emails from CDMO business development teams eager to showcase their capabilities, timelines, and differentiators. These cold outreach messages can range from insightful to overwhelming, and while they’re often well-intentioned, they rarely align with immediate needs. But can your program truly afford to ignore them altogether?

Whether the recipient works in manufacturing, tech ops, program management, clinical supply, or C-suite, the volume of inbound communication from CDMOs can be distracting. Yet ignoring these emails entirely might mean missing out on a future strategic partner. The key is creating a thoughtful, repeatable process to triage outreach professionally and efficiently, without getting buried in an avalanche of capabilities decks and dismissing excellent potential partners.

1. The Volume is Real - But Some Messages Are Worth a Look

The most common question heard across biotech operations teams is:

"How many CDMO emails do you get a week?"

The answer? Enough to warrant its own email folder. Still, it’s important not to treat every message as noise. CDMO partnerships are foundational in the clinical stage, and today's unsolicited introduction could become tomorrow’s lifeline when timelines slip or supply constraints arise.

2. Build a Filtering System - Digital and Mental

To stay organized (and sane), professionals often create a system to handle the daily outreach. That might include:

Email filters or folders to route CDMO messages into one place
A quick-scan checklist to spot value

Once filtered, categorize as:

“Later” – Potentially useful, but not immediately relevant
“Not a fit” – Different modality, region, or stage
“Worth exploring” – Flag for further review or escalation

This keeps promising leads from getting buried and allows for easy reference if a need arises later.

3. When to Involve Your Internal Team

Not every email needs to be routed to your team, but when a CDMO shows potential alignment, it’s worth engaging internally. Good signals to escalate include:

Experience with the sponsor’s molecule class (e.g., mAbs, viral vectors, sterile fill)
Manufacturing footprint in strategic regions
Clinical-phase case studies, especially those relevant to the sponsor’s current pipeline
Flexible or differentiated tech transfer processes

A short internal note with context is often more helpful than simply forwarding the message:

“This CDMO has clinical-stage bispecific experience and a U.S. footprint—may be worth keeping in mind for Program X if timelines shift.”

This helps your internal teams stay proactive rather than reactive.

4. Vetting Questions to Separate Capability from Fit

Before committing to calls or deeper exploration, teams can ask pointed questions to assess whether a CDMO is a serious contender quickly:

What is your experience with clinical-stage programs involving [modality] in [region]?
How do you approach tech transfer, and what level of sponsor involvement is expected?
What are the top three challenges you help clinical-stage biotech clients solve, and how?
How do you typically onboard new clients with accelerated timelines or limited batch data?

These questions help surface the CDMOs that are truly positioned to support clinical-stage biotech partners.

5. Declining Gracefully - Without Burning Bridges

Professionalism matters. A polite decline keeps the door open and prevents future awkwardness. Here's a commonly used response:

Hi [Name], thank you for reaching out. At this time, we’re not pursuing new CDMO relationships, but we appreciate the information and will keep your contact on file should needs arise in the future. Wishing you continued success. Best regards, [Name]

It’s also common to receive outreach from multiple individuals within the same company, sometimes days or even hours apart. While this isn’t always intentional, it can feel redundant and dilute the message. In these cases, a quick, courteous clarification can keep your inbox manageable while maintaining professionalism.

Pro tip: A simple message like this sends a clear signal without burning a bridge:

Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out, but I'm already in contact with [Name] from your organization. Should any needs arise related to your offering, I’ll be sure to follow up accordingly. Best regards, [Name]

This keeps communication streamlined and shows that you’re receptive, just not in need at the moment. Clear, respectful, and leaves a good impression - no ghosting required.

6. Final Thoughts: Keep It Structured, Not Stressful

CDMO outreach isn’t going away, and that’s not a bad thing. A thoughtful system for filtering, reviewing, and responding can keep inboxes manageable and ensure high-potential partners don’t slip through the cracks.

A courteous “not now” helps build goodwill and keeps doors open even when timing isn't right. Professionalism goes a long way in an industry where roles shift, needs evolve, and reputations stick.

CDMO relationships are long games. Today’s cold email might not align with current programs, but six months down the line, that same group could have exactly the right clinical-phase capacity, geographic footprint, and/or tech transfer expertise.

For BD professionals sending those emails, relevance, specificity, and a clear understanding of where a sponsor is in their journey will always cut through the noise better than a generic pitch. Personalized, targeted messages that demonstrate relevance to a company’s pipeline, modality, or stage will always rise above the rest. Generic mass emails? Not so much.

With a little structure and intention, biotech teams can stay focused on today’s goals while remaining open to tomorrow’s strategic partnerships.