CPHI Frankfurt 2025 – From the Floor

In a full-circle moment, our From the Floor blog returns to Frankfurt for the 2025 edition of CPHI Frankfurt. Taking place over 3 days from 28–30 October, we're excited to be back in a city of global innovation to meet, collaborate, and grow the pharmaceutical industry.

Don't know where to start?

Our Guide for first-time attendees is not just for those experiencing CPHI for the first time – this comprehensive guide also covers some of our exciting new offerings like the Leadership Summit, a high-impact session gathering pharmaceutical industry visionaries, and New Zones focusing on emerging sectors and trends like AI and Tech, Cold Chain Logistics, and Sustainability Suppliers. Read the full guide to make the most of your time in Frankfurt.

A First-Time Attendee’s Guide to CPHI Frankfurt

 

 

 

 

 

---

Tracking Innovation with...

Our Track Sponsor interview series sits down with some of our conference track sponsors to discuss key themes and trends impacting the industry. Click on the following Theatre Titles to find out more!

Future of Pharma & Ingredients

Leading CDMO Siegfried sponsors this year's Future of Pharma & Ingredients track, focusing on supply chain and market insights, and pharmaceutical ingredient innovations. 

 

 

Manufacturing 5.0

Thermo Fisher Scientific sponsors this year’s Manufacturing 5.0 Track. As a leading end-to-end service provider for the pharmaceutical industry, Thermo Fisher Scientific discuss what the coming years will bring for the pharmaceutical manufacturing and outsourcing sectors.

 

 

Packaging & Device Innovation

The Packaging & Device Innovation theatre highlights commitment to advancing patient-centric solutions through hybrid supply models, smart packaging, and sustainable practices, while informing on collaborations with industry leaders and the future of pharmaceutical innovation

 

Next-Generation Bio

The Next-Generation Bio Track will highlight and discuss all the potential biologics and new technologies hold for the industry. 

 

 

 

Clinical Innovation

The Clinical Innovation track highlights the role of clinical R&D in advancing biosimilars, biologics, and transformative therapies through decentralised trials, digital innovations, and strategic partnerships.

 

 

Sustainable Futures

This conference track covers the messages around sustainability regulation, partnerships, and practical initiatives for the supply chain on making good on their sustainability efforts.

 

 

---

Investment Trends and Start-Ups at CPHI Frankfurt

This interview with Matthew Wise, Head of Data from CCD Partners examines the evolving investment landscape in the pharmaceutical industry, highlighting key challenges for smaller firms, the growing focus on sustainability, biologics, and the transformative and ongoing role of AI and reshoring trends. Wise provides valuable insights into how strategic partnerships, advanced therapies, and local supply chain resilience are shaping investment strategies. Understanding these trends is crucial as they redefine opportunities for smaller companies, open new diverse avenues for larger, more established companies, and drive innovation in the pharmaceutical sector.

How innovation and strategy at CPHI Frankfurt are shaping investment trends

 

 

 

 

---

Speaker Legends

Across our many conference theatres scattered across the different show floors, we are excited to learn from some of the best and brightest across the pharmaceutical industry, such as CPHI friend and speaker Aurelio Arias.

The latest episode of the CPHI Podcast Series explores the transformative impact of GLP-1 therapies on global obesity management, highlighting their role in revolutionising care and addressing rising obesity rates worldwide. With insights from Aurelio Arias, Director of Thought Leadership at IQVIA, the discussion delves into the implications of semaglutide's patent expiry in 2026, equitable access challenges in emerging markets, and the potential of small molecules to advance obesity treatments. Understanding the future of GLP-1s is crucial as they reshape public health strategies and offer hope to millions facing the global obesity epidemic.

His presentation on 'Clinical Innovation in Obesity: The Next Five Years in Obesity Development' will be held on Wednesday October 29 from 13:15-13:40 at the Clinical Innovation Theatre.

CPHI Podcast Series: From Patents to Public Health - The GLP-1 Journey

 

 

 

 

---

Day 3

And the final day of CPHI Frankfurt 2025 has arrived! It's been a long journey but the positivity and energy of all our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, and, of course, the CPHI team have made it all possible. Keep an eye out for continued updates from the show floor before we officially close later today. 

---

Day 2

The final session Day 2 at the Sustainability Futures Theatre brought together an A-list panel consisting of moderator Sam Maguire (Sustainability Lead, Clarasys), Sebastian Klotz (Head of Sustainability IntegrityNext GmbH), Kami Krista (CEO & Co-founder, Elio), and Laura Hoffmeister (Global Bioethics Lead, Bayer AG) to discuss AI: A Force for Good or a Sustainability Nightmare.

Well, is it? 

Such a provocative headline would surely stir a lively debate with impassioned opinions? And it didn’t fail to disappoint. It’s true, the panel largely saw the many positives of AI, although a common sense approach was stressed. Themes and topics discussed included: green enzyme technology, accurate frame-working, a need to be better skilled at understanding AI, using in-house ChatGPT models as a training play-pen, governance and guardrails, leveraging AI learning, AI sleeper agents, controlling how agentive AI models operate, ethical requirements around organism modification and a shared realisation that AI is widely (within the panel) regarded as good for sustainability but as an enabler… not an answer. 

Like it or not, we humans still have to do the real hard work.

---

At the Sustainable Futures Theatre, Daniel Bochnitschek (Co-Founder & Managing Director, AllocNow), Benjamin Kuehne (Group Corporate Sustainability, Merck KGaA), and Lisa Schlereth (Product Carbon Footprint/LCA Lead Ares Trading, a Merck KGaA business) presented Transparency at Scale: Automating Lifecycle Assessments for Pharmaceuticals.

The session focused on how their work on sustainability has been pared down to three big goals: Products, People, and Planet. And of these, Planet was the main focus of this afternoon’s talk, which looks at the full picture through Cradle to Gate and Cradle to Grave assessments. 

By being more future-ready and aligning with potential new standards before they arrive, their value proposition feels stronger and more sustainable. And by finding new efficiencies across teams and processes, more informed decisions – backed by real data and shared purpose – are being made. The team also shared three key learns: there is an increased demand for insight; collaboration is key; and everyone is part of the solution.

---

What’s Your Next Move – and What Will it Cost You?

A Product Innovation session at the Manufacturing 5.0 Theatre with Jennifer Cannon (President Commercial Thermo Fisher Scientific and sponsors of the talk) presenting What’s Your Next Move – and What Will it Cost You? Driving Value Under Pressure… a fascinating insight into how collaboration and innovation is reshaping the pace of biotech.

Through partner case studies from the last 12 months, we heard how the Accelarator Drug Development initiative is helping bring molecules to market more efficiently, allowing companies to act with greater speed and flexibility. 
As an industry, Jennifer highlighted the choices we make now will determine our shared pathway forward. During questions from the floor, AI – very much the topic of the day and a cornerstone of the Accelerator Drug Development programme – was inevitably raised. The speaker acknowledged the importance of AI but also highlighted how ‘the human loop’ in the way AI data is interpreted, remains an essential part of their process.

---

AI in Pharma – Ask Us Anything

When the programme was launched, we all suspected AI in Pharma – Ask Us Anything (sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific) in Manufacturing 5.0 would draw considerable interest on Day 2... And it was standing room only! Panelists Michael Schorpp (Head of Digital Innovation & AI, Global Regulatory Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim), Sean Musch (CEO & Founder, AI & Partners, BV), Amir Abou Elmagd (Attorney-at-Law, Genome Lawyers, B.V) and Dominick Romano (AI for Radiology) certainly had an attentive audience. 

Questions and discussion points included: validating models and processes, data security, regulatory requirements, capability and coverage, draft resolutions and the European Commission, Agentic systems, cyber security boundaries, Large Language Model development, GMP environments, insourcing v outsourcing, Annex 11 and Annex 22, should organisations build a business case for AI as a potential revenue stream and, something that really does affect us all: do we each need to upskill our AI capabilities to make us more marketable in the job market? 

---

From a busy Start-Up breakfast, through the growing crowds and on towards the Spotlight Stage for the keenly attended Sustainability Power Hour. Peylina Chu – Chair of the Steering Committee for the CPHI Sustainability Collective - recapped the momentum enjoyed since launch 12 months ago in Milan, by bringing together committed and connected figures from a range of different pharma and healthcare organisations, all keen to share their own collaborative initiatives. Speakers included: Fiona Adshead (Chair, Sustainable Healthcare Commission), Simon Campbell (Packaging Innovation Director, Reckitt), Robert Williams (Chair, PSCI), Nic Hunt (Group Head of Sustainability, Nelipak), Miranda Hatfield (Partner, BCG), Nicola Coles (Sustainability Director, BioPharm), Philipp Ludihuser (Sustainability Manager (SCHOTT Pharma) and Nadine Lampka (Senior Product Manager Pharma-Sec, Schreiner MediPharm). 

The overarching message is collaboration is key, whether it’s re-focusing supply chains, bringing cross border collectives together, or shifting consumer – and industry – mindset. With each speaker allocated 5 minutes, the session flew by and ended with the reiteration that collaboration is something we can all get behind, especially when it comes to improving our commitment to sustainability. And who knows how far our collective efforts might take us in the coming 12 months?

---

The second day of CPHI Frankfurt 2025 is already here, and we're starting it off with smoked salmon bagels, pastries, and coffee at the Start-Up Networking Breakfast, located in Hall 4 by the Start-Up Market. We at CPHI are excited to provide a platform for emerging companies, start-ups, and scale-ups to showcase their innovative ideas, products, and services, and hope the connections from today will lead to the solutions of tomorrow.

 

---

Day 1

The first day of CPHI Frankfurt 2025 concluded with our exciting CPHI Celebrations and Awards Ceremony. The night commemorated the achievements of those in the pharmaceutical supply chain and was a chance to highlight some of the best in pharmaceutical innovation.

The night ended with a wonderful cover band performance, featuring covers of Prince, Bruno Mars, Beyonce, and more!

Congratulations to all the winners!

---

The final session of Day 1 was a panel discussion: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage: Navigating CSRD and CRDDD. The panel – moderated by Nic Hunt (Nelipak, Group Head of Sustainability), and featuring Maija Pohjakallio (VP, Climate & Circular Economy, Mesta Board), Jatin Budhraja (Sustainability Advisory Director, Nexio Projects), and Greta Koch (Parliamentary Assistant to MEP Voss, European Parliament). In a far-reaching discussion, the panel set out to bust a few myths. It’s still a complicated subject – and one that won’t go away - but take heart from the following panel takeaways: be transparent with all reporting even if it isn’t perfect; make sustainability an organisational responsibility; start collecting data early; be systematic… but don’t overburden yourself; ambitious roadmaps make great stories, and to paraphrase Albert Einstein, remember that 95% of the time is often spent identifying the problem… rather than dealing with it!

---

Staying in the Sustainable Futures Theatre, Vera Carvalho Correia (Global ESG Senior Manager, Centrient Pharmaceuticals) shared a personal story of how illness abroad helped shape her appreciation around the importance – and availability – of antibiotics. In Shaping the Future of Sustainable Antibiotics Manufacturing Through ESG Integration, she set down the challenge of aligning the production of antibiotics with a hopeful vision for a sustainable future. A future based on clear, measurable environmental, social, and governance strategy. The session concluded with a corporate and cultural commitment to turn ambition into action… where coming together is the beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.

---

Day 1 afternoon opening sessions at the Sustainable Futures Theatre for two complementary talks – complementary in the way both deal with the ever important need for our manufacturing processes to prioritise better and more sustainable packaging. 

In Smart Solutions for Sustainable Pharma Packaging: Shaping the Future of Barrier Innovations… Alejandro Martin (Global Sustainability Manager, Live Research GmbH) and colleague discussed the need to meet increasingly stringent safety and regulatory requirements and used Basel-based Liveo Research One-Material Blister (OMB) as an enlightening case study.

After a wellbeing interlude when we were drawn – visually and aurally –  into beautiful blue waters (a world way from the Frankfurt rain), Jüergen Bodenmueller (Business Development Director, Südpack Medica AG) talked about how the family run-business is using its 60 plus years of adaptability know-how and expertise to build an even more sustainable future, in his talk entitled, Healthcare – Sustainable Plastic Solutions for the Pharmaceutical Industry. Bodenmueller knows the pressure is on for us all to work harder and smarter, to be creative in solution finding, and to be bold in both thinking and execution to enable true circularity in pharma.

---

Uncertainty. Volatility. Certain themes are already establishing themselves at CPHI Frankfurt 2025. So, how do CDMOs get – and stay – in the game when the world feels somewhat unstable? An expert panel gathered in Manufacturing 5.0 to discuss CDMOs at a Crossroads: Scaling, Adapting, and Partnering for the Future (sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific). Molecule to Market podcast host Raman Sehgal asked the questions… and Nuria Amador (Head of Europe & North America, Global Partners, Almirall), Gil Roth (President, Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association), Anil Kane (Global Head of Technical & Scientific Affairs, Thermo Fisher Scientific), and Dania Chehab (Head of EMEA Pharma Services, J.P Morgan) brought their considerable industry expertise and insight to the fore to suggest a possible way forward.

---

So, let's see what our content theatres have in store for us today! 

Fran Zipp (President & CEO, Lachman Consultants Inc) drew a full house at the Manufacturing 5.0 Theatre with her impassioned talk on Global Pharma Manufacturing in Flux: Adapting to a New Era of Complexity. Addressing a rapidly shifting world, she explored how VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) and TUNA (Turbulent, Uncertain, Novel, Ambiguous) frameworks can shape resilience and adaptability. She also addressed a range of complex contemporary issues including US tariffs, the critical need for company representation in the States, and the next frontier of AI… urging the industry to move ‘beyond ChatGPT.’ Zipp also shared her views on Friendsuring and Reshoring with an audience keen to find clarity and action in a time of global uncertainty.

---

Don't get too excited - we're not handing out free Ozempic pens, but do keep an eye out for fountain pens sponsored by Healthy Tree shaped like GLP-1 injector pens. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

The Leadership Summit, sponsored by ensera, featured passionate speakers from across the pharmaceutical supply chain speaking to a room of like-minded leaders and innovators looking for solutions to global issues that extend even beyond pharma. Patrick Dixon, Chairman of Global Change Ltd, opened the session with a brief overview on the biggest issues impacting the future of pharma. From the announcement and reversal of over 100 trade decisions in the US to the EU shift away from products manufactured in China to what AI will really mean for the pharma industry, Dixon expressed both his concerns as well as his optimism of some of the largest gamechangers facing the supply chain today and into the future.

After Dixon’s presentation, he assembled a panel of top industry leaders for a panel discussion on the global economic outlook and regional challenges for the pharmaceutical industry. With figures from the US Pharmacopeia Polpharma Group, and Novartis, just to mention a few, the panel exchanged ideas, opinions, and conflicting thoughts on the future of a global pharma supply chain. The elephant (or panda?) in the room, China, started and ended the discussion, which veered in all directions throughout, from shortages in generics to who to partner with and rely on, the overall sentiment remained one of continuing global markets and collaboration, an optimistic take on increasingly regionalised policies.

---

And we're off! The opening ceremony celebrated CPHI's return to Frankfurt for its 36th year, with opening remarks from Informa Markets Creative Content Manager Joseph Kearney and Brand Director Tara Dougal, as well as from CEO of Messe Wolfgang Marzin.

As one of the largest pharmaceutical trade shows in the world, CPHI spans regions such as Asia, the Americas, and Europe to bring together over 62,000 attendees and over 2,400 exhibitors. 

The opening ceremony celebrated the culmination of a year's hard work and effort by the entire CPHI team - and reminded us that we have next year's to look forward to!

 

 

---

Day 0

It might be grey and rainy in Frankfurt but the halls are abuzz with activity - looking forward to seeing all the stands go up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

And the week we've all been looking forward to begins! The builders are here, colleagues from around the world are catching-up and getting ready for a bustling but productive 3 days ahead. Stay tuned for more updates as we get ready to open tomorrow.