Innovations that excite: A CPhI Frankfurt 2022 review

Rebekah Jordan gives a review of the recent CPhI Frankfurt 2022 event: observing noteworthy innovations, key themes across the industry, and the latest developments in pharma aiming to tackle trending issues.

Around 2, 000 exhibitors and over 40, 000 visitors, spanning across three days, CPhI Frankfurt did not disappoint in its showcase of the latest pharma innovations. Spanning across 11 halls, and allotted back-to-back meetings, I seized the opportunity at the “heart of pharma” to learn the latest trends and innovations from the experts across (almost) all sections of the pharma supply chain.

As a first-time attendee to a CPhI event – and only my second pharma trade show ever – no amount of preparation could have put into picture how vast the event is (and how my daily steps were about to hit a new record).

The constant theme throughout each hall of pharma was sustainability – and how this can be incorporated across all steps in every process. In a chat prior to the event with Heiko Schmidt, of Accenture AG, I was made aware how CDMOs could be doing more for sustainability now to prevent playing catch up. On top of that, evidence of tracking sustainability metrics is becoming key to pharma investors now. As such, stopping by Bioiberica’s stand, they discussed its mission of utilising isolated biomolecules from animal sources with intention to return the extracts back to their environment – closing what they class as a “circular economy”. One evident advancement was in its development of heparin medicine. Remarkably, Bioiberica also explained its stance on blurring the lines between pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sectors which could foresee some interesting developments to come.

The focus on increasing the bioavailability drugs also seems to be a growing trend. For one, Roquette introduced two new mannitol-based excipients to the market that can optimise tablet processability, including its potential adoption into fast-dissolving medications. Sharing the same vision for patient centricity and increasing patient adherence, Recipharm highlighted its innovations in OSD and personalised medicine to allow the process of patients taking their medication as easy as possible.

Following a recent article on inhibiting nitrosamine formation, it was interesting to catch up with the experts of DSM on addressing the nitrosamine impurity issue to improve the safety of APIs along with bioavailability-enhancing solutions within therapeutics. And a noteworthy innovation on DSM’s side was its advancements in the cannabinoids (CBD) drug market, unlocking the medical potential across CNS diseases through to cancers. 

Delving into nanotechnology, an in-depth talk with Ardena welcomed me with updates on the increasing therapeutic capabilities of nanoparticles and nanosuspensions in its development of precision medicines - designed to overcome the challenges that come with traditional drug delivery systems. The potential of nanomedicines is fast-evolving and one worth keeping an eye on.

Meanwhile, briefly catching up with Stevanato - in the midst of exhibitors wrapping up on the final day of CPhI - I observed the launch of the jointly developed ready-to-use EZ-fill Smart platform, providing no glass-to-glass or glass-to-metal contact, mitigating breakage risks and improving quality.

Cultivating plants to extract molecules for medicines is an extremely long process that results in large amounts of waste and inefficiency in the supply chain. Although not exhibiting this year, I had a fantastic talk with Antheia as they shared its mission to tackle this through a process of bioengineering plant-inspired constructs in yeast to yield the same products - without the challenges. Through these synthetic biology methods, this could unlock opportunities for expanding the diversity and complexity of compounds from yeast cells.

With digitalisation and “tracking” becoming the clincher for customers, L&D suppliers are expected to leverage their digital technology capabilities to keep their customers updated along every step of the transport process. Tower Cold Chain demonstrated its innovations in just that, with temperature sensors that alert customer of any changes in transit. The debut launch of its KTEvolution displayed its speciality in small shipments and direct-to-patient capabilities. Acknowledging that Covid-19 was a major driving force to them addressing the gaps in supply chain issues, and the fragility of transporting biologics, UPS Healthcare showcased UPS Premier that positions its customers in the centre, enabling them to track their products freely and notify of any changes or updates along the way. Also keeping on the theme of sustainability, UPS Healthcare explored its goals of cutting down on single-use waste and addressing cold chain issues (e.g. limited lifecycles).

All in all, one of the biggest takeaways from the event was the shift away from the “bigger is always better” approach within pharma innovation. Conversations with CDMOs reflected the attraction and market potential of smaller companies, which could see CDMOs becoming an increasingly integral element of pharma supply chains in what is becoming a fiercely competitive market. That’s not to say Big Pharma is out of the picture, after all, Big Pharma contributes to the success of smaller pharma companies.

That said, CPhI is a huge event and its simply impossible for one person to see every stall. Indeed, the three day event was only a snippet into the world of pharma, but its a place where all areas of pharma unite. From goals of improving drug formulation to get to target areas in the body faster to ameliorating the 'taking the medicine' process for patients to maximise compliance, and accelerating pharmaceutical transportation so drugs can get to the patients faster with minimal delays - all the while keeping in line with green goals to minimise waste and environmental impact.

Stay tuned for exclusive insights and interviews with a few key industry experts.