The announcements of the 2019 finalists and winning article were delayed from last year due to the pandemic. The authors of the 2019 Article of the Year will be celebrated at the upcoming 2021 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in Boston. Finalists and the winner of the 2020 award will be announced soon, and authors of the 2020 Article of the Year will also be celebrated at the Annual Meeting.
About the 2019 Article of the Year
The 2019 winning article explores the growth of e-commerce for prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicinal products. Online pharmacies offer many advantages to consumers, including lower costs, convenience, privacy, and a wider range of choices. For businesses, using online platforms removes the need for a physical store, helps manage stockkeeping units, and can increase price competitiveness. But online pharmacies come with risks that are a concern for global regulatory authorities. The article explores issues including laws against counterfeit drugs, accreditation systems, and other actions that help protect consumers when they shop for medicines online.
The issue of supplies that are safe and effective is critical in our society. In several countries, products purchased on the internet are not properly regulated or monitored as are those purchased through regular pharmacies. The risk is that consumers may purchase counterfeit products or those from dubious origins, or even products unapproved in that country.
Ferdinando Aspesi, Senior Partner, Bridge Associates International, and Chair of the Pharmaceutical Engineering Committee (PEC)
The message of the winning article is that the industry should continue to work with the regulators across the world to ensure that each country has proper regulations in place and a list of authorized internet sites is available. It will provide assurance to patients that the quality and safety of the products offered is satisfactory. This article covers a review of where these proactive systems are in place and addresses issues of patient care, regulations, and internet technology applicable in a holistic way.
About the Award
ISPE’s Roger F. Sherwood Article of the Year award was established in 1993 to increase article submissions and improve the quality of those received. In the early years, judges rated each issue's technical articles against a set of six criteria, then selected an annual winner.
Almost three decades later, while recognizing the merit of the original intent, the award has been refreshed to showcase the best content in Pharmaceutical Engineering, increase industry recognition, highlight ISPE’s reputation as a global knowledge leader, and bolster magazine content quality.
Although various judges have taken part in assessing articles over the years, one constant remains: recognition of quality and excellence in content through identifying finalists and a single winning article for each publication year.
2019 Judging
A subcommittee of the Pharmaceutical Engineering Committee (PEC) served as judges for the 2019 award competition, reviewing 35 articles and providing assessments on the following criteria: usefulness to ISPE readers; how the articles improve the knowledge of key topics; and clarity/ease of reading.
The PEC subcommittee was headed by Michelle Gonzalez. Thank you to Michelle and the PEC subcommittee for the work on the 2019 competition.
2019 Award Finalists
- “Automated Parts Washer Factory Acceptance Test” (Mar-Apr 2019)
By Olivier Van Houtte, Paul T. Lopolito, Dijana Hadziselimovic, and Neo Aik Ann
- “Inline Dilution: An Agile Capability for Downstream Manufacturing” (May-Jun 2019)
By Lindsey Daniel, PE, and Avril Vermunt
- “Holistic Control Strategies for Continuous Manufacturing” (May-Jun 2019)
By Christine M. V. Moore, PhD, Thomas P. Garcia, PhD, Douglas B. Hausner, and Inna Ben-Anat
- “Accelerated Pharmaceutical Product Development, Registration, Commercialization, and Life Cycle CMC Lessons, Part 1” (Jul-Aug 2019)
By Christopher J. Potter, PhD, Huimin Yuan, PhD, Nina S. Cauchon, PhD, Liuquan Lucy Chang, Derek Blaettler, Daniel W. Kim, PharmD, Peter G. Millili, PhD, Gregory J. Mazzola, Terrance Ocheltree, PhD, RPh, Stephen M. Tyler, Geraldine Patricia Taber, PhD, and Timothy J. N. Watson, PhD
- “A New Qualification Approach for Mobile Purified Water Systems” (Jul-Aug 2019)
By Fritz Röder
- “Why ISPE GAMP® Supports the FDA CDRH Case for Quality Program” (Nov-Dec 2019)
By Siôn Wyn, Christopher J. Reid, Chris Clark, Michael L. Rutherford, Heather D. Watson, Lorrie L. Vuolo-Schuessler, and Arthur D. Perez, PhD
Winner: “Regulating Online Pharmacies and Medicinal Product E-Commerce” (Nov-Dec 2019)
By Sia Chong Hock, Mervyn Ming Xuan Lee, and Lai Wah Chan
