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.