Pharmapack ‘Savoir Faire’

Editor's Note: This article was published in Pharmaceutical Technology Europe's January 2019 print issue. 

On 6–7 February 2019, pharmaceutical manufacturers and packaging suppliers will gather in Paris, France, for the 18th edition of Pharmapack Europe-the region’s dedicated pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery event.

Launched in 1997 as a biannual conference and exhibition, Pharmapack Europe has grown into, what over 90% of visitors state as, an important event to attend for their business, according to event organizer data. The whole event contingency will be housed within the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Hall 7.2.  

Featuring three main pillars at its core-innovation, education, and networking-Pharmapack Europe aims to help industry keep up-to-date with the latest developments, trends, and regulations within the fields of packaging, drug delivery, medical devices, and machinery.

Innovation

Innovation forms a central part of the Pharmapack Europe event. Attendees to the show will have the opportunity to discover the latest industry innovations across four different segments-Innovation Gallery, Innovation Tours, Pharmapack Awards, and Start-up Hub.

Innovation Gallery. The Innovation Gallery is located on the show floor, opposite the Start-up Hub area. Here, visitors can view the latest innovations, recently launched by exhibitors at the show. The top three innovations from companies exhibiting at the show are selected by an independent jury to receive awards in the Exhibitor Innovations category

Innovation Tours. Two tours will take place on each day of the event. Guided by an industry expert, participants of the tours will be taken around the stands of innovative exhibitors either in the field of New in (Primary & Secondary) Packaging and Manufacturing Process or New in Drug Delivery Systems for Better Patient Adherence. The free tours will take place between 10:30–11:30 am or 2:30–3:30 pm and will be led by industry experts.

Pharmapack Awards. The awards have taken place alongside the event since its launch and celebrate innovative solutions in packaging and drug delivery that have contributed to improving the proper use of medicine, patient/user safety, patient compliance and adherence, and eco‑friendliness.

Award winners will be chosen from two categories: Exhibitor Innovation is open to event exhibitors, and Health Products is open to pharma, veterinary, biopharma, or original equipment manufacturer companies. In total, five winners will be announced on the first evening of the event, 6 February 2019.

“This year we have also partnered with HCPC Europe and Adelphe for the Pharmapack Awards to increase its global prominence and encourage the widest possible spread of innovators to take part,” revealed Silvia Forroova, event director Pharmapack in an event press release (1).

Start-up Hub. The Start-up Hub is a dedicated area of the exhibition floor where up-and-coming companies can showcase new technologies in pharma packaging, labelling, drug delivery device design, and engineering. 

In this dedicated space, visitors will have the opportunity to explore developing and expanding new technologies and meet the companies working to shape the future of the industry. Additionally, companies with stands in the Start-up Hub area are also offered the opportunity to enter the start-up pitching competition, an opportunity to pitch their early‑stage ideas to a panel of experts, while also being able to listen to other start-ups in the field. 

Networking

Pharmapack event organizers anticipate that the 2019 edition of the show will see 421 exhibiting companies and approximately 5300 attendees from more than 100 countries gather in Paris. See 
www.pharmtech.com/pharmapack2019 for information from selected exhibitors.

To assist those attending the event to network as efficiently as possible, there is a complimentary International Meetings Programme, which is a service enabling the pre‑arrangement of one‑on-one meetings with exhibitors. Additionally, there are focused networking areas set out on the exhibition floor where attendees, exhibitors, and visitors of the show can meet and network.

Education

During the two-day event, an educational programme will be on offer for attendees comprising a conference programme, technical symposium, and the learning lab.

Conference. The first day of the conference programme will be split into three sessions-Patient Adherence, Challenges in Usability & Regulatory Update, New in Packaging Materials & Drug Delivery Systems, and Sustainability and Pharmaceutical Packaging & Devices: from Threats to Actions.

On the second day, a session will focus on what’s New in Biologicals and Biosimilar Drug Delivery Devices; the afternoon will play host to the Award Winners’ Presentations and the Start-Up Pitching. 

Across the conference programme, there will be simultaneous translation between French and English and ample opportunity for discussion of the topics.

Technical symposium. The technical symposium is sponsored by eight companies and will feature case study presentations discussing challenges and solutions in packaging, drug delivery, and serialization/Track and Trace.

In addition to the company‑sponsored insights, the China National Pharmaceutical Packaging Association, which will discuss the country’s pharma market dynamics and opportunities within the fields of packaging and drug delivery during the the last slot on 7 February 2019

Learning lab. In the learning lab, attendees can hear about exhibitor innovations in a quick‑fire session. Lasting 30 minutes or less, presentations made by various exhibitors will focus on the latest developments, products, and services that are on offer as well as how these tools can be applied to different projects.  

Editor’s Educational Picks

The following is a small selection of some of the interesting topics that will be on offer during the two-day event:
Wednesday 6 February
Conference
• 12:00–13:00: Panel Discussion: Practical Implications of Brexit on Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies
• 13:30–13:50: A Game-Changing Delivery System for Long-Acting Injectables
• 15:55–16:20: Sustainability Expectations for Future Pharmaceutical Packaging and Devices
Technical symposium
• 14:15–15:00: End-to-End Traceability: A New Competitive Advantage
Learning lab
• 16:30–17:00: From Technology Breakthrough to Long‑Term Adoption-How Smart Devices are Changing Drug Delivery
Thursday 7 February
Conference
• 09:10–09:30: Global Biologics and the Rise of Biosimilars
• 13:45–14:15: Pharmapack Awards 2019 Winners’ Presentation
Technical symposium
• 11:00–11:45: Developing Innovative Processes for Complex Drug-Device Combination Product: How to Speed Product Development and Reduce Development Costs
Learning lab
• 09:30–10:00: Next Generation Packaging for Next Generation of Biological Drugs
• 14:30–15:00: Quality-by-Deign for Pre-Filled Syringe Components

Reference

1. Pharmapack Europe, “‘Record Year for Pharma Packaging and Drug Delivery Innovation’ Says Pharmapack,” pharmapackeurope.com, Press Release, 12 Nov. 2018.

Article Details

Pharmaceutical Technology Europe
Vol. 31, No. 1
January 2019
Page: 20–21

Citation

When referring to this article, please cite it as F. Thomas, “Pharmapack 'Savoir Faire'," Pharmaceutical Technology Europe 31 (1) 2019.