The last year has been a hugely exiting time for pharma with the industry continuing to take centre stage globally with record levels of innovation and the successful rollout of Covid vaccines and boosters. But looking a little further ahead, areas like the use of mRNA outside of covid vaccines could potentially bring in a new wave of potential opportunities in the drug device and delivery space. Smart Packaging innovations are also generating much excitement and environmental advancements have seen an accelerated rate of adoption and new ground is being broken daily.

Pharmapack Europe is an integral part of the industry’s efforts to harness the power of networking, knowledge sharing and partnering – the underpinnings of innovation that will drive growth in the years ahead. What is exciting for anyone who attends the event is that it’s a window into not only the partnering of today, but also, many of these ground-breaking innovations yet to hit the market.

The 2022 edition takes place as a Smart Event, with a hybrid experience that extends the value of Pharmapack beyond the two days in Paris. For one week before and one week after the in-person event, all attendees, speakers, and exhibitors will have access to our online platform where you can plan their onsite experience by viewing exhibitor profiles and product information, while also marking out the sessions they want to attend.

Event Overview

Pharmapack Europe 2022’s Smart Event will take place online from May 9-27^th, with the first week dedicated to online learning labs and interactive matching, as well the in-person event at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, Paris from May 18 & 19^th, and a week afterwards to catch up on any sessions or meetings missed.

To ensure you're up to date on all the latest developments in the industry, Pharmapack 2022 will host more than 50 sessions (online & in-person). The two day in-person event features networking with 300+ exhibitors covering the pharma packaging and drug delivery industry, and live conference sessions covering three tracks: Track one explores design & development; Track two sustainability; and Track three focuses on combination products & biologics.

Overall, 5,000 attendees from 75 different countries are expected, as well as a who’s who of pharma packaging innovators including BD, Aptar Pharma, West Pharmaceuticals and Nemera.

If that was not enough; the event will also host the Learning Labs onsite and digitally, and showcase new innovations through the Start-up Hub and Innovation Gallery.

Finally, the eponymous Pharmapack Awards will be hosted across two categories: Exhibitor and Health Product. The awards ceremony will take place digitally at 16:00 CET on 17th May, and on-site at the Exhibitor party (18th May) to toast the winners!

But even if you cannot take part in-person we encourage you be part of our largest ever digital content, where you'll have the chance to hear from our start-up companies on their product innovations.

Detailed Conference track breakdown and event review

Morning of May 18^th – Track I: Design & Development

18th May, 10:30-11:00: Patients are People: Why Drug Delivery Needs to Evolve the User Experience: This session with Clare Beddoes, Senior Insights Research Consultant, Cambridge Design Partnership and Ben Kubler, Consultant Industrial Designer, Cambridge Design Partnership, explores the value of considering the user experience for patients and how to most effectively build it. It will also focus on what the consumer sector has to show drug delivery about creating compelling and reassuring experiences, how packaging can guide users from onboarding to successful regimen adherence and how to unify physical and digital components while convincing users of connectivity’s benefits.

18th May, 11:30-12:00: Application of Eco-Design in Pharmaceutical Packaging for Environmental Impact Reduction of an Industrial Product: A special session by Romane Osadnick, Key Account Manager, Adelphe, covers the increasing need and political priority to improve resource efficiency worldwide. Osadnick will cover how product design is a crucial aspect in this respect and will provide an overview of the growth factors driving the need for environmentally friendly packing design, what you should consider for designing a more sustainable, socially responsible packaging for your products and some of the challenges and solutions ahead. This session will highlight eliminating waste by considering the environmental impact of packaging in the design process and meeting company needs while meeting regulatory requirements - with real-life cases and examples.

18th May, 12:30-13:00: Tackling the Challenges of Cloud Connectivity: This informative session by Thomas Watts, Engineering Consultant, Team Consulting will explore how wireless connectivity technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC are becoming cheaper and more widely adopted. With many medical device manufacturers looking at how they might be used to improve their products. Watts will show the benefits to adding connectivity to your medical device, from collecting use-data to improving the reliability of post-market surveillance, or allowing users to track their medications on their smartphones. This talk will discuss the common pitfalls developers face when adding cloud connectivity to a medical device and how best to avoid them. It will also consider the implications of smartphone technology for richer user interfaces, the types of connected technology you might consider and their pros/cons, Security considerations and key development challenges, in-field software upgrades and the usability of “headless” devices.

Afternoon of May 18th – Track II: Sustainability

18th May, 14:30-15:00: Sustainability in Drug Delivery: A Green Future without compromising Safety and Efficacy: This presentation by Mayur Patel, Digital Health Expert, PA Consulting will discuss medical waste generated at healthcare facilities, mostly attributed to plastic packaging and products. Patel will cover why the businesses leading the future are the companies that minimise waste and maximise resource utilisation through a combination of reuse, redistribution and recycling. The session will discuss if such actions can translate to the medical industry without compromising the safety, efficacy, and sterility of life-saving therapeutics. He will explore how the industry can achieve efficiently designed Drug Delivery Devices, smart technology for labels and instructions, modular and sustainable packaging solutions and smart supply chain technologies.

18th May, 16:30-17:00: Top Strategies for Environmental Sustainability with Examples: A special session by Tom Oakley, Director of Drug Delivery Device Development, Springboard. He discusses environmental sustainability as the defining challenge of our time. Whereas most global emergencies, such as the financial crisis or Covid, are likely to be measured in years, it will take decades of substantial change to achieve sustainability. This session will give every viewer helpful insight for understanding and navigating the future of drug delivery device development, covering some high-level strategies, with examples including:

device reuse options and limitations, device concept selection, recycling strategies, material selection, supply and distribution networks, for example, air miles, reduction in chemical use, for example, sterilisation and propellants and lifecycle analysis metrics and tools. 

May 19^th – Track III: Combination Products & Biologics

19th May, 10:30-11:00: Packaging Biologics: The Limits of Incumbent Materials: This session by Peter J. Schmitt, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Montesino, covers the future of engineering and the limits of commodity plastics in biopharma packaging. He will discuss the growing challenges of Extractables and Leachables, complex gas and chemical barrier issues, and if incumbent materials can meet the challenge or if it is time for engineering grade polymers to advance in the marketplace.

19th May, 11:30-12:00: Dynamics and Future Perspective of High-Volume Subcutaneous Drug Delivery: This session by Asmita Khanolkar, Senior Director, Cambridge Pharma, SMC will discuss the subcutaneous delivery of therapeutics as it continues to drive change and shifts the delivery from hospitals to homes. The development of novel drugs, specifically bio therapeutics and long acting injectables pose challenging requirements of larger volumes and high viscosities – and this has further increased the demand for advanced drug delivery devices. Adapting subcutaneous drug delivery devices for higher viscosity and higher volume drugs allows patients to benefit from new treatments. Khanolkar will highlight new outlooks for combination products, challenges and gaps in High-Dose/Volume Drug Delivery, and potential solutions. He will also explore using autoinjector technology for unmet needs and integrated development approaches for the rapid approval of these novel therapies.

19th May, 12:00-12:30: Key Considerations in Choosing Primary Packaging Containers for Low Temperature Applications: A presentation by Tom Van Ginneken, Head of Product Management Polymer Solutions, SCHOTT AG, covering the results from internal studies on primary packaging container (glass PFS, polymer PFS and vials). He will discuss data packages on CCI, functionality, sterility, siliconization performance, sub-visible particles, breakage and optical properties for different temperatures from -20°C, -50°C to -80° and drug interaction studies with mRNA specific placebo solutions.

19th May, 13:00-13:30: Regulatory Dynamics and Future Perspective of Drug-Device Combination Products: The final session by Fabien Roy, Partner, Hogan Lovells International LLP, will discuss the global medical practice as it undergoes the change of embracing faster access to innovative technologies. Getting the regulatory strategy right from the onset can mean the difference between success and failure. Despite the clinical advantages of drug-device combination products in treating certain medical conditions, the regulatory review and approval process for these products is generally complex. This session will discuss the key considerations and regulatory dynamics for registering innovative Drug-Device Combination Products and changes to existing products incorporating innovative modifications.

Learning Labs

This year’s event will see a mix of Learning Labs hosted on the show floor and streamed for online audiences, as well as online only sessions. Each lab is designed to inform visitors about the latest innovations in products and solutions in 20-minute presentations. In-person learning labs include presentations from Gemma Budd, Director of Business Development at Nanopharm, an Aptar Pharma company, on ‘Benefits of Nasal Drug Delivery – more than just Hay Fever’, Christa Jansen-Otten, Director of Technical Product Development from West Pharmaceutical Services, on ‘Selecting Optimal Prefilled Syringe Components for COVID-19 Vaccines’ and Roberto Valenti, Head of Materials Development from Bormioli Pharma on ‘How to Combine Sustainable Packaging with Pharma Requirements: A Data-Driven Approach to Bridge the Gap’ among others.

The prestigious Pharmapack Awards will be hosted digitally on 17^th May at 16:00 CET and will celebrate the latest innovations from the pharmaceutical packaging industry. The awards have two categories – Health Product and Exhibitor Innovations – each of which are judged by a jury of independent industry experts and decision-makers. Also, an on-site exhibitor party will take place on 18^th May to toast the winners.

Showcasing all exhibitor innovations that were submitted for the Pharmapack Awards, the Innovation Gallery provides an overview of recently launched products. From anti‑counterfeiting and track and trace solutions, to patient adherence and dosage forms, these products represent the ever-evolving pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery industry. Moreover, there will also be hour long guided Innovation Tours, delivered by industry experts, to highlight exceptional exhibitors throughout the Innovation Gallery.

A dedicated area to companies developing and expanding new technologies in the fields of pharmaceutical packaging, labelling, drug delivery device design and engineering, the Start-up Hub returns to the heart of the show floor.

Finally, Pharmapack Europe is inviting its community to take part in an in-depth market insights survey exploring the drug delivery and pharma packaging industry and future trends. Please help us to continue serving your current and future business needs by taking this 10-minute survey, which will provide invaluable insights. Each survey provided is anonymous, and the final findings will be released in the Pharmapack Report 2022.

Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/JWL5QB7

Pharmapack Europe will be online 9th May-27th May, and in person 18th & 19th May 2022 at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, France.

Register now at https://registration.gesevent.com/survey/2diwlqrkka9i3?actioncode=WEB1