Brexit, new technology and communication

Fri, 30/11/2018 - 12:28

Pharma Integrates covers the most important issues currently facing the pharmaceutical industry

Last week, another successful Pharma Integrates saw more than 350 key industry leaders converge in London to discuss the most critical considerations for the pharmaceutical industry in these uncertain times. 

The sessions tackled some difficult topics, such as the implications of Brexit for the pharmaceutical industry, which was explored during the “Managing Disruption in Turbulent Times” panel discussion. In this roundtable, the speakers focussed on the potential advantages that such change may bring, with several interesting opportunities being debated that might arise from this time of political uncertainty. 

The panel agreed that this could be a chance for the industry to evolve and make use of new disruptive technologies, to move quickly into emerging areas of innovation and to promote new national and international collaborations.

Hot topics in recent years, including AI, blockchain and big data were all on the agenda during the “Applying New Technologies in the Pharma Value Chain” session. Featuring speakers from multiple industries, including pharma, the participants considered the emerging technologies that hold the greatest potential for the sector and how best to incorporate these into advanced workflows and processes. 

An emphasis was placed on the importance of systematic planning when incorporating new technologies to ensure efficiency. Cyclical feedback was highlighted as a key component of the integration process, with frequent input from both machines and operators being used to implement iterative improvement and to enable new systems to reach their full potential. 

The crucial need for effective communication was a recurring theme throughout the conference, and one that Nathalie Moll, Director General, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, emphasised in her presentation. She kicked off the event by reminding everyone that in this world of instant access news, telling yourstory yourway is essential. If you don’t, someone else will! Clarity of communication is not just important for the public, but also between organisations to facilitate successful collaboration and progress.

Pharma Integrates is hosted by Life Science Integrates and will return next year for more interesting discussions and collaboration opportunities for the pharmaceutical industry.