Ahead of next month’s CPHI Milan - where the industry is expected to turnout in record numbers with a astounding 62,000 pharma executives expected from more than 100 countries - EPM got a sneak preview of what to expect at the event from Tara Dougal, brand and content director at CPHI Milan.
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Q. It’s the event’s 35th year anniversary – can you explain to attendees what to expect and a little more about the 35 CPHI Champions or any other celebratory elements at the show?
This year is really exciting, as it marks our 35th anniversary of connecting the global pharma supply chain to collaborate, innovate, and advance the industry. For many, 35 years can seem like a long time—an entire career—but we know that in the world of scientific research and medical trials, this is just the blink of an eye.
The excellence of the past 35 years has only been possible because of our incredible community. These are the real champions of scientific research, product development, and boundless innovation, who continue to deliver solutions that improve patient outcomes worldwide.
That’s why, as we celebrate this amazing milestone, we want to highlight 35 groundbreaking champions who have changed our industry through an exciting on-site campaign. We begin our journey back in 1796 with smallpox vaccinations and follow innovative research and discoveries through to the present, celebrating how they have shaped the world we live and work in today.
35 years is a huge milestone for us and as we reflect, we are also looking ahead to the future, and how we can continue to support the pharma community to shape this dynamic industry.
Q. The much-celebrated CPHI awards returning again – what should people look out for, what have the entries been like and or any new categories?
We had a huge number of entries for this year’s awards and introduced some important new categories – Woman of the Year and Future Leaders. Both are designed to recognise members of the pharma community who are blazing the trail for innovation, growth and leadership.
The Awards will be integrated into the CPHI Celebration this year, what’s set to be an incredible networking event on the first night of CPHI (Hall 24 – 8 October, 18:00). We know how important it is to connect with colleagues, partners and peers from around the globe at CPHI, and this event is an opportunity to network, relax and celebrate being back at the heart of pharma.
Q. The start-up hub has been another recent success of the event – helping investment audiences and early innovators meet – can you provide an update on this year’s zone?
We had a great launch of this important new zone at CPHI Barcelona, with 40 young companies joining us for the first-ever Start-Up Market. Based on its overwhelming success, and the interest from both our visitors and exhibitors, we have more than doubled the capacity for 2024. It’s really fascinating to see the kind of projects and products that our start-ups are working on, and we believe the exhibition package we designed, which includes, space, promotion and networking, offers huge value. Given how R&D models are shifting from internal to external innovation, we believe the zone offers an exciting opportunity for new partnerships and collaborations.
Q. What do you see ahead for the next few years of pharma – as many analysts now see a renewed growth period ahead in 2025 and beyond?
Big question - and so much happening in the industry now! AI and its various applications are a huge area which we are exploring at the moment, it’s fascinating to think about the potential this technology holds for the industry, from optimising clinical trials and expediting drug development, all the way through to improving marketing communications.
The CDMO sector continues to boom, and we see growth driven by increasingly complex therapeutics such as C> and mRNA. Our contract services zone is almost sold out for CPHI Frankfurt in 2025, which is a solid indicator of demand in the sector.
Lastly, emerging markets are very much on the radar. We are launching CPHI Middle East in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 10-12 December 2024, a really exciting new event for a market with enormous potential – the Middle East is looking to localise manufacturing and launch innovator products, this also presents an exciting opportunity for MNCs looking for the next big opportunity in pharma.