真诚的人，才能让合作走得更稳更远 | 逐梦者说 | Bilingual

编者按：“让天下没有难做的药，难治的病”，是初心，更是愿景。自成立以来，药明康德步履不停：从一间实验室，到覆盖亚洲、欧洲和北美的全球网络。从早期的化学合成服务，到贯穿研究（R）、开发（D）和生产（M）的一体化平台。从第一位客户，到全球三十多个国家的数千合作伙伴。不断发展的，是规模与能力；始终坚守的，是梦想与承诺。

致敬来时路，共谱新篇章！在这一系列访谈中，我们以“逐梦者”视角，回顾药明康德成长发展的峥嵘岁月，回望赋能客户创新的并肩往事，更以独特的“药明精神”展望未来新篇章。

琳·福斯特（Lynne Faust）束起长发，戴上手套，仔细整理她的套索：活结打好，确认无误；三圈绳圈，确认无误。闸门尚未开启，四周一片寂静，唯有风声轻响。她侧过头，贴近她的“战友”——一匹有着白色鬃毛的浅棕色母马，感受着马肋间平稳的起伏。一人一马，默契早已在呼吸与心跳间悄然流转。

“每一次出赛，都是骑手与马匹之间的信任。”琳说。没有日复一日的磨合，没有对彼此能力的深刻了解，再出色的骑手也无法赢得比赛。你得清楚马能跑多快、转多急，也得明白自己该在什么时候出手、什么时候收力，唯有如此，才能以最稳健的方式，一同取得胜利。

信任发生在签约前

在琳的世界里，马术是她的热爱。而作为药明康德副总裁、合全药业和WuXi TIDES北美区业务拓展负责人，她将赛场上锤炼出的信任之道，带入了与客户的每一次合作中——清楚自己能做什么，坦然承认自己的局限，并为每一个可能的挑战提供切实可行的解决方案。

图片来源：123RF

在她刚加入合全药业时，曾有一位新客户找上门来，希望开发一款用于肿瘤治疗的口服小分子药物。需求明确，时间紧迫。可当对方提出具体要求时，琳心里清楚：药明康德刚刚建成的圣地亚哥基地，还无法完全满足客户的需求。

换作别人，可能会先应下来，把难题留到以后。但她没有。

“我直接告诉客户：‘我们当地的基地能力尚在建设中，但我们可以这样解决。’”她坦诚相告，并提出了一个“混合模式”方案：由另一个基地的团队完成前期的化学工作，然后再由圣地亚哥团队负责后续的生产，同时在项目周期内快速建成新设施，支持后续的胶囊填充。

客户沉默了几秒，心中的天平作出了权衡：“就按你说的试试。”

如今，这个项目已顺利进入后期临床研究。而这样的成功，在药明康德并非偶然。依托全球布局和CRDMO模式，药明康德正日复一日地将客户面临的“不可能”挑战，转化为可执行、可交付的现实。

琳在药明康德的每一天，都以“信任”为纽带，将药明康德一体化平台的资源与效率，转化为攻克新药开发难题的敏捷步伐。对琳来说，每一个项目的转折点，并不在项目签约的那一刻，而是在最初的几次通话中，信任的种子就已经种下。那是一种双重的信任：客户对药明康德强大平台能力的信赖，也源于她以坦诚和专业，将这份信任稳稳地传递给了对方。当药物成功迈向临床，为患者点亮希望，那便是公司与客户共同赢得的胜利。

关键时刻，要不辜负客户的托付

作为在生物医药行业的老将，琳明白，在充满变数的新药研发征程中，产业真正稀缺的是确定性，一个能将项目从起点稳稳交付至终点的可靠伙伴。

如今，快速响应、透明沟通、风险应对，已成为新客户最关心的问题。而药明康德的一体化、端到端CRDMO服务模式，正是这种“确定性”的最佳答案。

不同于传统分段式服务，药明康德打通了从药物发现（R）、开发（D）到生产（M）的全流程——研发周期更短，管线推进更快，从临床前到商业化一路都能为客户保驾护航。对于资源有限、每一步都至关重要的生物科技公司而言，这种一站式解决方案，不是“加分项”，而是“必选项”。

琳始终记得一位长期合作、专注于小分子罕见病领域的科学家。多年来，他与药明康德在药物后期开发阶段紧密协作，建立了深厚的信任。

后来，这位科学家加入了一家新的肿瘤学初创公司。尽管项目还处于早期阶段，但他再次提议将药明康德作为其CMC供应商。因为在新药开发领域，许多项目一旦获得“快速通道”资格，便可能从1期临床迅速推进至关键性研究。这样的节奏，对团队和平台都是极大考验：工艺开发必须尽早完成，商业化路线更要提前锁定。然而，新公司的管理层并没有接受这个提议，而是选择了另外一家供应商。

消息传来，团队难掩失落。但琳依旧鼓励自己的团队，尽可能为客户提供支持。“药明康德与客户之间，不只是一单生意，”她说，“只要还有机会，我们就尽力支持。”

转机在几个月后出现。由于原供应商在能力和产能上无法满足激进的新药上市申请（NDA）时间表，客户果断将项目交回药明康德。

这次回归，并非偶然。背后是药明康德以“确定性”赢得客户信赖的必然——深厚的专业积累、全球一体化平台的无缝支撑，共同构筑了“关键时刻值得托付”的底气。

“药明康德的一体化服务能力，让我们的合作伙伴可以真正松一口气。”她说，“他们只需专注创新，不必再为每个阶段东奔西走地找供应商，更不必担心衔接出问题。这一切，交由我们负责。”

从一次合作到长期伙伴

在新药研发这个动辄十年起步的漫长赛道上，琳从不把合作看作一锤子买卖。对她而言，每一次合作的开始，都是帮公司建立起一段长久关系的起点。

“我很荣幸，参与了一些持续了十余年的合作。”琳语气平和，却难掩内心的骄傲，“其中有几家生物科技公司，从2006年就与我们建立了合作。亲眼见证他们的分子从实验室走向临床，最终获批上市，惠及患者，这是我职业生涯中最充实、也最具成就感的部分。”

更让她与有荣焉的是，客户对药明康德的信任并未因人事更迭或外部动荡而中断。世界在变，挑战在变，但许多客户的选择始终未变。在药明康德的长期合作伙伴中，有的仍在原公司坚守，有的离开创办了新公司，可当他们再次踏上新药研发的征程时，不约而同地又都找到了药明康德。

“药明康德从临床前到商业化的一体化CRDMO服务能力能让我们的客户在诸多不确定性中找到确定性。”琳说道，“他们知道，无论下一个分子是什么，下一个挑战在哪里，我们都会在。”

在2025药明康德投资者开放日上公布的一组数据，正是这份信任最有力的证明：从2024年初到2025年上半年，在全球生物医药产业的诸多合作与授权交易中，共有53个药物原本就在药明康德平台上研发。当药物权益发生变更后，新客户没有转移项目，而是选择继续推进——项目保留率高达100%。

不仅如此，还有9个原本由其他公司承接的项目，在权益易主后，新的拥有者主动将其转移到药明康德平台进行开发。

为患者带来无限可能

当被问及药明康德为何能在众多供应商中脱颖而出时，琳的答案清晰而坚定：创新。

“在药明康德，我们把创新视作一颗种子。”她说道，“正是这颗种子，让那些曾经遥不可及的设想，生根发芽，长成了今天我们遍布全球的坚实版图。”

对她而言，创新从不局限于分子或疗法本身。它更深植于基础设施、协作方式与战略布局之中。“从发现到商业化，我们的目标是消除环节与环节之间的摩擦。”她说。

二十五年来，能力、产能、全球布局与响应速度——这些支柱始终服务于药明康德一个更宏大的目标：在将变革性科学成果转化为真正惠及患者的创新药物的征途中，成为行业最值得信赖的“赋能者”。而这份信任，根植于不容有失的诚信。“如果我们的诚信有问题，绝不可能取得今天的成就。”琳语气坚定地说道。

当被问及如何看待公司愿景——“让天下没有难治的病，难做的药”时，琳不假思索地说：“这意味着为合作伙伴与患者带来无限可能。意味着再复杂的分子，再艰难的适应症，都有被攻克的希望。而我们正是站在科学与患者之间的关键一环。”

Riding the Line Between Trust and Triumph

Editor’s Note: “Every drug can be made and every disease can be treated”. Since 2000, from a single laboratory to a global network spanning Asia, Europe, and North America; from early chemical synthesis services to an integrated platform that connects Research (R), Development (D), and Manufacturing (M); from its very first customer to thousands of partners across more than 30 countries, WuXi AppTec has never stopped moving forward to realize its enduring vision.

In tribute to the journey, we look back through the eyes of our “dream-makers”: revisiting the stories of partnership that empowered global innovation, and the unique spirit that continues to guide us toward the next chapter.

Lynne Faust ties her hair, slides on gloves, and builds her lasso like a ritual: honda knot, checked; three neat coils, checked. In the echoing hush before the gate swings, she leans close to her roan, feeling her ribcage rise and fall, the kind of quiet that means the horse is listening.

Somewhere a latch clicks. When the calf breaks, the pair straightens down the red dirt like a drawn arrow. Two beats to rate, two smooth swings to open the loop; Faust delivers on the third. The loop floats past the calf’s nose and falls like a halo. The roan feels it first: she rocks back, sand blooming from her hocks, cheers exploding from the stands.

For the Head of Business Development North America for WuXi STA and WuXi TIDES, the sport is a metaphor. “Every run,” she says, “is about trust between rider and horse.” As she counts on her horse in the arena, her clients count on her: steadfast, responsive, and true.

Where Trust Begins

Faust’s path to biopharma leadership began in 6th grade, when a chemistry class sparked a lifelong fascination that carried her through internships in forensic labs and fine-chemical plants, then into process development at a research company. “I came out of school with a bachelor’s degree and a tremendous amount of industry experience,” she recalls. “I learned early that integrity is everything: never burn a bridge, no matter the challenges you face.” That credo still anchors her team today.

When she joined WuXi AppTec over a decade ago as its first East Coast business development representative, she brought both technical depth and pragmatic empathy. As the team has grown, she has been able to maintain its “true to science” identity. Every member of her team, she emphasizes, has a scientific background (chemistry or biology) and can relate to being “in our clients' shoes.” That shared foundation, she believes, creates trust faster than any pitch deck could.“It’s really the rapid response, transparency, and risk-mitigation scenarios,” she says. “Those are what new clients remember. They see that we’re honest about what we can do today, and how fast we can expand to meet tomorrow.”

Image source: 123RF

Her honesty has turned prospective clients into believers. Faust recalls a small-molecule oncology company that needed capabilities beyond WuXi AppTec’s newly opened San Diego site. Rather than overpromise, Faust connected them to colleagues in other regions and proposed a hybrid model: early-stage chemistry at other sites, with final API work and capsule fill completed locally. The arrangement not only met the timeline but also cemented a partnership that has endured through multiple clinical phases. “Trust,” she says simply, “is established within the first few calls.”

From Collaboration to Long-Term Partnership

In an industry where timelines stretch a decade or more, Faust views collaboration as a continuum, not a transaction. Over the years, she has guided programs from preclinical stages to commercial launch and watched clients return with new molecules years later. “I’ve had collaborations that have lasted well over a decade,” she notes. “Some of these partners started with us in 2006. Seeing their compounds move from preclinical to patients, that’s been the most fulfilling part of my career.”

For Faust, these relationships thrive on the same qualities that define successful horsemanship: patience, consistency, and communication. “When you start a call talking about what you did with your family for the weekend,” she says, “it brings the humanity back into what we do and why we do it.” That personal connection, combined with WuXi AppTec’s integrated capabilities, helps clients feel their programs are protected from uncertainty.“Our long-term partners can take the stress out of CMC vendor selection,” she adds, “They know we’ll be there when the next challenge comes.”

Her conviction is reinforced by experience. Faust recounts a case in which a rare disease partner she’d worked with for years moved to an oncology startup and initially chose another CMC vendor. Rather than retreat, she encouraged her team to keep offering help in limited ways, knowing how quickly programs in this space can move from Phase 1 to pivotal studies. “If you are lucky enough to be granted Fast Track designations,” she explains, “you need an experienced team that can support rapid process development to help finalize a commercial route much earlier in the program’s life cycle.”

That perseverance paid off. Months later, when the new vendor’s limited capability and capacity couldn’t meet the aggressive NDA timeline, the full program returned to WuXi AppTec. Perseverance and reputation won the day. “To me, it’s always been about getting these drugs effectively to patients,” Faust says. “Any way we can help our partners do that, that’s what we’re here for.”

Championing Innovation for Partners

Ask Faust what differentiates WuXi AppTec from the crowded field of CDMOs, and she doesn’t hesitate.“At WuXi AppTec, we champion innovation: it is the seed from which new, and what at one point may have seemed unimaginable possibilities, now grow into the sheer breadth of operations we have today globally.”

For her, innovation isn’t confined to molecules or modalities, it extends to infrastructure, communication, and strategy. “From discovery to commercial, our model is built to remove friction,” she explains, “Regulatory starting materials, APIs, drug product, we integrate it all. Our vertical and horizontal reach gives clients the confidence to move faster, even in complex new modalities like oligonucleotides and peptides.”

That capacity, she argues, makes WuXi AppTec a crucial partner in an era defined by speed. “With the pressure on first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics, every day in R&D counts,” she says, “Those committed partners who leverage WuXi AppTec’s fully integrated CMC offerings will come out ahead.” From Shanghai to Switzerland, Singapore to San Diego, she sees the company’s growing footprint as both a logistical advantage and a promise to clients: resilience through global collaboration.

From capability and capacity to global footprint and speed, the throughline is clear. These pillars serve WuXi AppTec’s grander goal: to champion bold ideas and transformative science on their journey toward novel medicines that benefit patients worldwide.

The Ride Ahead

Faust’s Texas home offers a fitting vantage point for someone who straddles continents and disciplines. “Texas is one of the best hubs to travel from,” she laughs. “Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has direct flights to Shanghai, direct everywhere. And I have a lot more room for my horses than I would in California.” Her trailer often doubles as a mobile office between competitions.

“When dedication meets purpose,” she once said, “barriers fall, and even the smallest molecules can create the biggest impact.”It’s a sentiment that bridges chemistry and cow horses, business and passion. In every gallop down the fence and every client call, Lynne Faust rides that same tightrope: steady, focused, and fearless, proving that trust, like true partnership, is earned stride by stride.

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