Pharma Integrates: Third Time to Charm

Taking place at the Park Plaza Riverbank (London, UK) on 18–19 November, the third Pharma Integrates conference brought together more than 200 senior leaders and participants to discuss the state of the industry and the key issues being faced.

Opening the event, David Brennan, former CEO, AstraZeneca, commented: “The pharmaceutical industry has had an incredible impact in improving and extending the lives of innumerable people for many decades. Current therapies, both on the market and in research, will no doubt continue to contribute to that incredible influence and have an even greater effect on the lives of millions all around the world. There has never been a more exciting time for pharmaceutical discovery and development.”

He added: “With the overarching theme of strategically transforming pharmaceutical relationships, panel after panel of speakers and participants at Pharma Integrates touched on every critical aspect of the industry, debated the future and how to get there. The three themes that emerged — integration, innovation and the Individual — are at the centre of what’s next for this important industry.” Nick Stephens, Executive Chairman, RSA Group, described the event as “the delight of the week, challenging, lively and full of debate.”

Tackling issues such as strategic partnering, staffing, mHealth, outsourcing, patient advocacy and generics, the event left no pharmaceutical stone unturned. Discussions also addressed market trends and opportunities, the paradigm shift from batch to continuous processing and the role of disruptive technologies in the future of drug manufacturing.
 

Prof. Trevor M. Jones, CBE, an adviser and facilitator, said: “Pharma Integrates 2014 provided a timely reflection on the challenges and opportunities for partnership and collaboration facing the pharmaceutical industry in a rapidly changing environment. Participants engaged in productive discussions regarding the need to embrace disruptive technologies and new players to drive future successes — especially the increasing involvement of patients, medical technology and new, large data sets in drug discovery, development and commercialisation. The conference is now an established forum for an international exchange of information on these significant topics concerning the future structure and operation of the industry.” 

Christopher Watt, Co-Founder and Executive Director, commented: “With the third edition of Pharma Integrates, I genuinely feel that we’ve put the event on the map, that we’ve become established and recognised. But, I must stress that none of this would be possible without the overwhelming amount of time, effort and input that comes from an ever-expanding external network of key stakeholders and experts who sincerely care about the future of the pharmaceutical industry. We are indebted to them and their willingness to help this and future events.”

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Samuel Thangiah, added: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the sponsors who supported us this year, including our headline sponsor, Patheon, our platinum sponsors, SAFC and Catalent Pharma Solutions, 3M Drug Delivery Systems for sponsoring the champagne drinks reception and PwC for providing the conference badges. We are extremely grateful for their involvement and endorsement. I would also like to extend my gratitude to prestigious speaker faculty, our media partners and, of course, the attendees for participating and contributing to the debate.”

Michael Stanek, Managing Director, API Global, Patheon, added: “There’s certainly a buzz in established Pharma at the moment, with companies coming forward and talking about their development needs and where the industry is. It was a pleasure to support Pharma Integrates this year, an event where key issues such as this are discussed and debated, and solutions are actually put forward. It was very satisfying to participate in such an interactive and progressive forum.”

Launched in 2011, Life Sciences Index is a specialist provider of events designed for life science leaders to stay current and connected in a network of peer-to-peer debate and continuous learning. The company was created with the aim of helping those industry leaders across global business functions and geographical locations to resolve today’s critical business issues and addressing those of tomorrow.