Springing Forward

After a long, cold winter, I anxiously look for signs that Spring will soon arrive: pitchers and catchers report to baseball spring training, the store shelves change inventory from parkas to pastel clothing, and trade show and conference season moves into full swing.

The calendar for the next few months is busy with trade shows, symposia, and conferences addressing all aspects of biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Pittcon, the annual symposium for analytical instruments and methods, was scheduled for March 8-12 in New Orleans. The Parenteral Drug Association hosts its annual meeting on March 16-18 in Las Vegas. Looking ahead to April, the focus is on INTERPHEX, the annual exhibition for bio/pharmaceutical manufacturing, scheduled for April 21-23 at the Javits Center in New York City. 

BioPharm International, with its sister publication, Pharmaceutical Technology, will again sponsor free educational sessions. Topics for 2015 include key emerging issues: serialization, cell therapy manufacturing, and contract services. For the solid-dosage drug manufacturing, we will sponsor sessions on tableting and continuous manufacturing. All sessions will be presented in the exhibit hall; admission is free to any attendee with an exhibit hall pass. The following is a preview of the topics.

Contract Services Market: 2015
Jim Miller, founder and president of PharmSource Information Services, will offer a review of the contract services landscape. Topics will include the financial market conditions and consolidation in the CMO market, manufacturing capacity, pricing pressures, changing relationships with bio/pharma companies, and more (April 22, 11 am).

Real-World Serialization: How Good is Your Game Plan?
Serialization deadlines have been set; however, some companies are waiting to take action. Experts from Optel Vision, CRB Consulting Engineers, Pharma Logic Solutions, TraceLink, OCS Checkweighers, Vetter, and PCI will summarize the latest global regulations, offer concrete estimates of return on investment, and share examples of real-world serialization programs that are already yielding returns (April 21, 11:15 am). 

Succeeding in Cell Therapy Commercialization
Cell therapy is becoming a crucial area of R&D for more companies. Succeeding in this complex area requires a clear understanding of process needs, and equipment that automates more processes. Experts discuss the issues and how to take a holistic approach from the earliest conceptual stage of any cell therapy project. Speakers include Eytan Abraham, Lonza; Robert Preti, NeoStem; Richard Grant, Invetech; Harvey Brandwein, Pall Corp.; Phil Vanek, GE Healthcare (April 22, 1:15 pm).

To learn more about the conference sessions, visit www.biopharminternational.com/bp/interphex2015.

Meet the Editors at INTERPHEX 201
In addition to moderating the scheduled educational programming, the editors of BioPharm International and Pharmaceutical Technology will explore the exhibit hall to learn about the newest technologies and discover new applications for legacy and emerging products.

We look forward to this opportunity to meet readers in person. Please stop by booth 1530 to discuss ideas about the industry and your suggestions for topics for future issues of the magazine.

About the Author
Rita Peters is the editorial director of BioPharm International.

Article DetailsBioPharm International
Vol. 28, Issue 3
Page: 6
Citation: When referring to this article, please cite as R. Peters, “Springing Forward,” BioPharm International 28(3) 2015.