Updated: CPHI North America 2022 Blog

Follow along for live updates from CPHI North America, taking place in Philadelphia, PA from May 17-19. 

Thursday, May 19

14.15 - With less than an hour left until the show floor closes, exhibitors begin to pack up their stalls and prepare for the journey home. Hugs and handshakes are exchanged as people slowly filter out, with many remarking what a difference it makes to be face-to-face with peers again. This year's event felt like a reunion after more than two years of pandemic-induced separation, and there is the sense that people are already looking forward to the next time they'll be together again. 

12.00 - Our content artist's latest creation was a big hit with attendees of the marketing workshop. See the session's highlights mapped out here - 

11.15 - Laurie Actman, CMO at Penn Center for Innovation closes the presentation portion of the session. Actman explains that she hones in on metrics and outputs when marketing PCI’s activities, while also engaging influencers and partnerships. She says: ‘A lot of what I do is trying to curate a story around innovation’.  

11.00 - ramarketing founder Raman Sehgal was next to present. He chose to focus on common mistakes companies make in terms of their marketing activities.  

Sehgal noted that many companies take a ‘spaghetti against the wall’ approach and fail to prioritise their positioning. He recommends figuring out ‘what makes you different and what makes you special’.  

He also advised companies against ‘following the herd’ and taking a more tailored approach to marketing strategy, as well as advising the audience to obtain buy-in from those with the most sway in the process.  

10.30 - Marketing is the theme of the final item on this year’s content agenda. The Pharma Marketing Strategy Workshop is moderated by Susan Stipa, EVP of Public Relations at CG Life, with contributions from Laurie Actman, CMO at Penn Center for Innovation, Raman Sehgal, ramarketing founder, and Debra Harrsch, President and CEO of Brandwidth Solutions.  

Debra Harrsch is the first contributor up to the podium. In a possible attempt to wake the room up, she plays an audio clip of comedian Billy Connelly as a way of highlighting the vital components of a business plan. Harrsch talks about building a foundation for marketing activities by creating a customer journey, defining the value proposition, proof points, and other factors.  

She also takes the audience through a case study of Halo Pharma, which was acquired by Cambrex after working with Harrsch’s company, Brandwidth Solutions.  

09.30 - The final day of CPHI North America has kicked off! 

It has been amazing to meet all the conference speakers, exhibitors and attendees from across the full pharma supply chain over the last two days. Today's agenda includes a pharma marketing workshop and, of course, more networking and sales opportunities on the show floor. 

Here's how Day 2 looked - 

Wednesday, May 18

17.00 - That's a wrap on Day 2! Follow CPHI on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook for exclusive interviews with some of our amazing speakers, exhibitors and attendees.   

What does the Heart of Pharma mean to you?

We asked one of our amazing speakers Stephanie Gaulding the same question and this is what she had to say.

What are your thoughts are?#CPHINA #AtTheHeartOfPharma pic.twitter.com/RoRuTTlveQ

— CPHI (@CPHIWW) May 18, 2022

16.00 - Did you miss any conference sessions you were hoping to catch? It's easy to lose track of time in the Exhibitor Hall, which is why we've made all sessions from this year's event available On Demand here.   

15.00 - After a quick lunch break, this afternoon's content agenda presses on with four quick-fire presentations about cell and gene therapies, in partnership with Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing. The sessions focus on current regulatory requirements, technological innovations in the space, and question how to increase patient access. 

12.30 - Wrapping up Track 3, Pfizer CentreOne’s Karen Lauxmann is joined by Raman Sehgal, founder of ramarketing, for a discussion on supply chain challenges impacting CDMOs. Sehgal begins by saying ‘It’s a great time to be a CDMO’ due to high demand in the sector but acknowledges that CDMOs face several distinct challenges, including geographic spread and shortages of expertise.  

Sehgal recommends focusing on supply chain resilience as a means of achieving future success. ‘If I was working in a CDMO I’d be planning for the next pandemic, I’d be planning for a boat to go down on the other side of the world,’ he says. He also predicts that environmental factors will have increasingly significant impacts on supply chains and advises that companies focus on their ESG goals.  

12:00 - Discussions on the supply chain continued throughout the morning with a panel discussion (Re-Thinking The Supply Chain - What Are The Realities? Who Is This Really Working For?) and a presentation on managing outsourcing partners (Proven Framework for Managing Your Outsourcing Partner).  

Stephanie Gaulding, Executive Director, Regulatory Compliance at Pharmatech Associates, led the presentation on outsourcing partners and recommended focusing on three key areas – risk management, knowledge management, and data management. Gaulding emphasised the importance of maintaining appropriate oversight over outsourcing partners, saying 'that’s what is going to get you to optimal efficiency, that’s going to get you to robust communications'. 

10.00 - The first conference session of the day has just kicked off! Brought to us by Pfizer CentreOne, Tom Wilson, Global Business Development Lead, discusses supply chain strategies from the perspective of a CDMO. Titled ‘Where’s the Sugar’, Mr. Wilson uses the analogy of baking a cake and having no sugar to describe challenges impacting pharmaceutical supply chains.

09.30 - Yesterday we were proud to unveil our new brand identity, with the tagline 'At the heart of Pharma'. But what does that actually mean? Find the most common answers from event attendees mapped out by our sketch artist. 

09.15 - Just 15 minutes until doors open for Day 2! 

Day 1 was a great success! We can't wait to open the doors for you today to have an even better day 2.
See you at 9:30AM sharp!#CPHINA #AtTheHeartOfPharma pic.twitter.com/UVw8ambbm8

— CPHI (@CPHIWW) May 18, 2022

Tuesday, May 17

17.00 - To close out Day 1, we caught up with MedPharm's VP of Business Development, Lynn Allen, on the show floor to discuss opportunities in the topical and transdermal products space. Read our interview here. 

16:00 – After a quick coffee break, this afternoon’s agenda proceeded with an insightful presentation on COVID therapeutics, delivered by Frank Gupton, Department Chair at Virginia Commonwealth University. He outlined Medicines for All's work in process improvements for COVID therapeutics, including work done thus far on Remdesivir and Molnupiravir. 

Mr. Gupton explained how the focus of his work shifted from HIV to COVID-19 once the pandemic hit, and describes how his team at Virginia Commonwealth University turned their attention to creating the starting materials for Remdesivir. He said a key challenge was developing a scalable process, given the global implications of the disease.  

Mr. Gupton and his team also worked on the process for Molnupiravir, significantly increasing yield (from 17% to 75%) and reducing cost per kilo.  

His key takeaways for increasing access to new treatments focused on development methods and cost reductions. He advised focusing efforts on developing methods that improve process efficiencies and strengthen the raw material supply chain, as well as reducing costs to aid uptake in low- and middle-income countries.  

15:00 - The show floor is a hive of activity this afternoon. Take a tour of the venue with us -

14:00 - Track 2: Drug Manufacturing Dynamics kicks off with a presentation by Kevin Kane, Senior Staff Scientist, R&D at Thermo Fisher, on the company’s integrated drug substance and product development services.  

This is followed by a panel discussion exploring the factors driving adoption of continuous manufacturing. Moderator Wayne Weiner, Principal at Pharmatech Solutions LLC, is joined by Bikash Chatterjee (Pharmatech Associates), Graziano Castaldi (Chemelectiva), Kai Donsbach (Virginia Commonwealth University), and William A. Hein II (Janssen).  

13:00 - Find the key takeaways from this morning's first three sessions ('ESG Frameworks', 'Are Pricing Reforms on the Horizon', and 'In Pharma Services, Where Have All the Entrepreneurs Gone?') mapped out here. 

11:00 - The first panel discussion of this year’s event focuses on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues, with a focus on what investors are looking for in terms of ESG frameworks. Moderator Bob Girton is joined by panellists Robert Popovian, Chief Science Policy Officer at Global Healthy Living Foundation, Nate Kimball, Sustainability Practice Lead at Antea Group, and Jordan Johnson, Chief Innovation Officer at Oncospark.  

The panel touched on issues such as patient equity, supply chain impacts and reporting frameworks, with transparency shining through as a key theme. When asked what advice they would give to companies developing their own ESG frameworks, panellists emphasised the importance of buy-in from stakeholders across the organisation – from investors, to C-suite executives, to employees tasked with implementing agreed changes. The panel also discussed ESG’s place in the market, with Mr. Popovian concluding: ‘As long as it [ESG] has a political benefit or a business benefit, it’s here to stay. And I would argue that it has both’.  

10:20 - Return visitors may notice that CPHI looks a little bit different this year. Today, as CPHI North America kicks off, we are pleased to unveil our refreshed brand itentity. Read about our brand transformation here. 

CPHI has a new brand identity - Our brand has changed but our goal remains the same, create meaningful experiences that connect stakeholders across the supply chain resulting in sustainable partnerships. Experience our new look at CPHI NA today.
#Informa #CPHINA #Pharma pic.twitter.com/45uToY42AU

— CPHI (@CPHIWW) May 17, 2022

09:45 - Our first session is about to kick off! Join us in Meeting Room 201A for sessions spanning sustainabilty, Covid-19, cell & gene therapy, supply chains, pharma marketing and much more. 

Find the full conference agenda here. 

Monday, May 16

Preparations for CPHI North America are almost complete! We can't wait to welcome you in person tomorrow. 

Who is ready for CPHI North America?

We are so excited to welcome you, tomorrow in-person, at CPHI North America!

There's still time to register and get 1 free ticket or 50% off for a colleague!
Register here: https://t.co/3NGQxdsWXH#CPHINA #AtTheHeartOfPharma pic.twitter.com/wIxLjhLtoa

— CPHI (@CPHIWW) May 16, 2022