Pharmapack Europe unpacks key drivers and challenges in 2020

Pharmapack Europe (#pharmapackeu), organised by Informa Markets, has pinpointed a number of opportunities and threats that drug delivery and pharmaceutical packaging companies must address in 2020. The event, widely seen as Europe’s leading hub for the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery industry, will take place next week at the Porte De Versailles in Paris (5-6 February, 2020), with executives meeting to debate key trends, learn new insights and meet new partners.

This year’s conference agenda provides a window into the biggest developments likely to impact the industry in the year ahead. Trends at this year’s Pharmapack include digital value-added medicines, increased need for waste management, formulation triggering device development in biologics and the use of blockchain.

2020 marks the event’s 23rd successful year, and over its lifetime, it has grown in size, profile and popularity from a bi-annual event to a major annual show that attracts over 5,500 visitors and 400+ exhibitors from more than 75 countries worldwide.

One key session generating significant interest amongst delegates is the connectivity and patient centricity session. Aurelio Arias, Senior Consultant, European Thought Leadership at IQVIA, will discuss the role devices have on Value Added Medicines (VAM) and how patient centricity and good product design on transforming the perception of medical devices – which are now integral to many patient therapies.

In a year when the industry has begun exploring the full life cycle impact of medicines, the agenda will explore everything from a collaborative value chain approach to enabling plastic recycling. These themes, as well as a talk around recovering and managing waste generated by used medicines, will be discussed in a sustainability panel chaired by Gregor Anderson, Managing Director at Pharmacentric Solutions.

In the biologics space, Pharmapack speakers will discuss the global outlook of biologics and biosimilars as well as the complexities of delivering a biologic drug to market. Biologics are having a significant impact on device development and Christian Dechant, Director of Primary Packaging Development Biologicals, Pharmaceutical Development Biologicals at Boehringer Ingelheim, will discuss how formulation is triggering device development within the space.

The event will also explore the challenge in bridging the development gap between clinical and commercial applications as the number of innovators increase within the market. Harmonising the creative work of small players and the complexity of large, highly regulated markets and increasingly complicated therapeutic systems will be a major challenge in the industry in 2020.

In a final trend emerging from Pharmapack, the use of blockchain technology in the pharma supply chain is expected to increase throughout the course of 2020. Jason Lacombe, CEO at Veratrak will discuss how blockchain is currently being used by contract packaging organisations in the pharma supply chain and its growth potential.

Another highlight is the ‘must see’ in-depth Workshops – a series of 45-minute technical presentations – featuring interactive case-studies on new approaches, and how to overcome challenges and technical problems in product development, as well as sessions on Indian and Chinese pharma. The speakers feature a who’s who of leading international companies including Becton Dickinson, Sonceboz, Sensile Medical, Gerresheimer, Schreiner MediPharm, LOG, SGD Pharma, Bormioli Pharma, and Covestro.

Paving the way for new innovations to the market, the Pharmapack Awards and Start-up Hub are both growing in importance as more diverse companies bring patient-changing innovations to market. All exhibitor innovations submitted for the Pharmapack Awards are showcased in the Innovation Gallery, which gives a comprehensive overview of recently launched products as well as hour-long guided Innovation Tours delivered by industry experts.

“It is an extremely exciting time for the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery industry, as in recent years more innovative products are being brought to market. With the industry harbouring goals of going greener, managing waste generated by used medicines will be vital in bringing these goals into fruition. Pharmapack Europe’s content-rich agenda, coupled with the unique business platform it provides for executives to nurture existing relationships and establish new ones, have played a significant role in helping proliferate new innovations to market,” says Silvia Forroova, Brand Director at Pharmapack Europe.

Session 1 Connectivity and Patient-centricity on 5th February Morning:

• “Digital Value-Added Medicines” by Aurelio Arias, Engagement Manager, European Thought Leadership, IQVIA
• “Ensuring our digital solutions truly deliver value” by Paul Upham, Head, Smart Devices, Roche/ Genentech
• “Packaging: Labeling setup requirements for, and experiences with, clinical trials and post-market surveillance of pharmaceuticals in relation to patient therapy compliance” by Guillaume Bonafous, Industrial project leader, Sanofi
• “Risks and real-world issue with connected devices” by Tom Oakley, Director of Drug Delivery Device Development, Springboard

Session 2: Sustainability on 5th February afternoon:

• “HPRC (Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council): A Collaborative, Value Chain Approach to Enabling Plastic Recycling”by Juha-Pekka Pöyry, Technical Marketing Specialist, DuPont™ Tyvek® Healthcare Packaging
• “Recovering and managing waste generated by used medicines in the health and medico-social sector” by Valérie Tatin, Purchasing Manager, Korian
• “Starting at the source, sustainable packaging in Merck supply chain” by Fabien Thibault, Global Manager, Product and Packaging Sustainability, and Corinne Ondo, Associate Director, Head of Sourcing Glass, Merck Healthcare
• “Implementing circular product design on the journey towards zero environmental impact” by Nanja Hedal Kløverpris, Project Lead, Corporate Environmental Strategy, Novo Nordisk A/S
• “Medical blister recycling challenges: first steps into action” by Delphine Pernot, Eco-design services Manager, Adelphe

“Preparing for the Black Swan: A Playbook for Exiting PVC in pharmaceutical flexible packaging” is covered in a presentation by Peter J. Schmitt, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Montesino Associates, LLC

Session 3 Challenges in Drug Delivery for Biologics on 6th February morning:

• “How Formulation Triggers Device Development” by Christian Dechant, Director Primary Packaging Development Biologicals, Pharmaceutical Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim
• “The Dermal Filler market and its manufacturing challenges” by Frederic Bertaïna, CEO, Bioxis Pharmaceuticals
• “From Primary Container to Device Development – pitfalls and ways to maximize efficiency” by Michael Song, PhD, Senior Manager, Biopharmaceutical Development, Dosage Form Design & Development, AstraZeneca
• “Harmonizing Cost and Microliter Dosing Performance Requirements – Applications in Ophthalmology, Oncology, Cell & Gene Therapy” by Dr. Gautam Shetty, CEO, Congruence Medical Solutions LLC (a US start-up company)

Session 4 New Horizons in Innovation:

• “Change as a prerequisite to enhancing innovation capabilities for organizations” by Marc Rohrschneider, Head New Technologies, Device Development and Commercialisation, Novartis AG
• “Using Blockchain across the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain” by Jason Lacombe, Chief Executive Officer, Veratrak (a UK start-up company)
• Pharmapack Awards 2020 winners’ presentation

About Pharmapack

Launched in 1997, Pharmapack is the European event for Pharmaceutical Packaging, Drug Delivery, Medical Devices and Machinery. Pharmapack started as a biennial conference and exhibition, taking place every other year in Paris, until industry developments demanded a more frequent event to help the industry stay up to date on the latest trends, developments and regulations. In the past 20+ years, the event has grown from a conference with a small table-top exhibition, to an event hosting 411 exhibitors and welcoming 5,290 attendees over 2 days. In 2018, Pharmapack also featured the International Meetings Programme (business matching), an International Meetings Programme, full 2-day Conference, 1-day Symposium, Workshops, Learning Lab presentations, Awards ceremonies, a Start-up Hub, Innovation Gallery and Tours.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world’s leading exhibitions organiser, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year.

For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

The Informa Markets annual schedule of Pharmaceutical events include: CPhI & P-MEC India (26–28 November 2019 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR – Delhi, India); Pharmapack Europe (5-6 February, 2020 at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles – Paris, France); CPhI South East Asia (4-6 March, 2020 at the QSNCC – Bangkok, Thailand); CPhI Japan (16-18 March, 2020 at the Big Sight Exhibition Centre – Tokyo, Japan); CPhI North America (05 April – 07 May, 2020 at Pennsylvania Convention Centre – Philadelphia, USA); CPhI and P-MEC China (22-24 June, 2020 at SNIEC – Shanghai, China); CPhI Korea (26-28 August 2020), COEX – Seoul, Korea); CPhI Middle East & Africa (14-16 September, 2020 at the ADNEC – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates); CPhI, ICSE, P-MEC, FDF, InnoPack Worldwide, BioProduction (13-15 October, 2020 at Fiera Milano, Milan)