CPhI Worldwide, organised by UBM Live, and CPhI Pharma Evolution have announced the full line-up of its expert industry panel ahead of the publication of a forward-looking annual report. The report, which is due out in September, will examine future contingencies for the pharmaceutical industry.
Additionally, the panel has also contributed to the first CPhI Pharma Evolution monthly report, due to be published imminently, which will examine current trends in formulation and ingredients, such as issues relating to growth of the market, development of tablets, QbD, PAT, bioavailability, outsourcing, dissolution and stability.
Each panel member has been chosen following an exhaustive selection process involving industry peers and journalists to ensure that the panel has the appropriate expertise to examine global trends independently and holistically. In total, CPhI now has 13 world renowned experts, covering the entire pharmaceutical supply chain from R&D through to finished products, regulatory requirements and economic implications.
The new panel members are experts from some of most innovative players in the pharmaceutical sector, including pioneers like Fujifilm Diosynth and Piramal, and will provide a depth of experience.
Depth of experience
Featured on the panel will be Piramal’s pharma sector lead – spanning three divisions Pharma Solutions, Critical Care and Lab Diagnostics – Vijay Shah who has more than two decades of experience and has overseen many business transformations. Piramal is transitioning from its traditional roots in contract and generics manufacturing towards the development of new chemical entities. Vijay Shah will leverage his perspectives on breaking through the patent cliff and the development of antibody drug conjugates.
Joining him will be PWC’s Director of healthcare practice, Sam Venugopal who has more than 15 years’ experience across biotechnology and pharmaceuticals with expertise that spans quality systems, regulatory compliance and supply chain activities, including working with the FDA on improving its own quality systems.
Mark Carver, Senior Vice President, Research, Development & Innovation at Fujifilm Diosynth also joins the panel and will bring a wealth of experience in the development of innovative technologies particularly in relation to scalable and validated manufacturing processes. His industry acumen and knowledge covers 20 years of work on recombinant protein products based on microbial expression in bacterial, yeast and filamentous fungal systems.
Our panel provides a tremendous picture of all areas of the pharmaceutical value chain and, just as importantly, from different global perspectives
Another expert across R&D and drug manufacturing, Prabir Basu, formerly of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education (NIPTE), will direct the panel’s attention towards how the industry can look to increase innovation. Basu has spent the last 10 years heading the NIPTE and is a renowned expert in looking at the future challenges in drug manufacturing and R&D.
Secretary-General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance and an expert on the Indian and worldwide regulatory landscape, Dilip Shah will provide insights into the future landscape and implications for pharmaceutical companies of potential changes. His experience spans more than 45 years and through his consultancy practice (Vision) he works with some of the world’s leading companies looking at strategic planning.
Emil Ciurczak provides an extensive range of pharmaceutical acumen across spectroscopy, PAT and QbD, having introduced NIR Spectroscopy consulting and written in excess of 200 technical papers. He has also previously been a member of the FDA’s PAT committee and is currently president of Doramaxx Consulting.
The panel will be completed by William Botha, a respected trainer and mentor in manufacturing. He is fluent in FDA regulations, including GDP and GMP and has taught an aseptic processing course for PDA and a Quality Systems course for AAMI.
During 2013 members of the panel will take part in CPhI short monthly reports – entitled ‘CPhI Pharma insight series’ – examining topical issues across a total of eight broad themes: Drug Delivery; Formulation & Ingredients; R&D; Manufacturing; Packaging & Distribution; Regulatory Compliance; Contract Services & Supply Chain Management; and QA/QC.
Collectively, our panel has been responsible for some of the industry’s most innovative developments and changes over the last 30 years
The ultimate goal of the panel is to utilise the members’ respective areas of expertise to scrutinise how the industry will change over the coming 5-10 years in an annual report. The report will feature a mixture of primary industry data (industry surveys) and the collection of in depth essays from each panel member, with experts given carte blanche to predict how the industry will look and operate in the future from both an economic and practical perspective.
‘Our panel provides a tremendous picture of all areas of the pharmaceutical value chain and, just as importantly, from different global perspectives,’ said Chris Kilbee, Brand Director, Pharma at CPhI.
‘Collectively, our panel has hundreds of years of senior level expertise and they have been responsible for some of the industry’s most innovative developments and changes over the last 30 years. This knowledge gives them the depth of understanding that allows them provide an unrivalled picture of how the industry is predicted to change.’