We engaged in discussions around the growing sustainability concerns in the industry and the current state of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in pharmaceutical filtration. Having the conference in Boston, a global hub of biotech companies and industry experts, always makes this an active and engaging forum for our membership to network and share their thoughts on where the biotechnology sector is heading.
We are also in the middle of the ISPE Board of Directors election process. The ballot has been set and sent to all members to vote on the upcoming open positions on the International Board. This process started in February with the collection of nominations from across the globe. The Nominating Committee, led by ISPE International Board Vice Chair Jeff Biskup, received dozens of nominations for industry professionals willing to volunteer their time and talents to help shape the future strategy of ISPE for the membership. With several current board seats up for election, I encourage you to participate in the election process by reading up on the candidates and voting for the 2024–2025 International Board of Directors.
The next big conference will be the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida, 13–16 October.
Heading into summer, the Regulatory Steering Committee published the results of our industry survey around enabling pharmaceutical innovation. This was the first phase of the effort around identifying barriers to interpretation and implementation of ICH guidelines with respect to progressing the introduction of new technology for development, manufacture, life cycle management, and distribution of pharmaceutical products and innovative medicines.
This is all in an effort to establish durable, globally harmonized regulatory process implementation and guidance to allow regulatory authorities to consistently asses and accept the new technologies. This was done through the input of our membership. Continue to look for ways to engage in this effort in the future so that we, as an industry, can continue to innovate and move new technologies forward.
In this issue of Pharmaceutical Engineering, ® you will find articles focused on facility retrofits and repurposing for new products and modalities. As companies continue to innovate to bring new products to patients, we will continue to need to adapt our current facilities and processes for future products. A facility retrofit can save time and costs over new facility builds. Time to market is so important for our patients that anything we can do as an industry to speed up the process and bring down the costs is a benefit for everyone. Look at the innovative thinking and project execution of these projects. Perhaps it will provide thoughts for your organization’s plans. You will see that many of the Facility of the Year Award finalists developed innovative solutions through retrofit projects to meet their company’s goals.
The next big conference will be the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida, 13–16 October. Remember to stick around for the annual golf tournament that benefits the ISPE Foundation on 16 October at noon. It’s the perfect opportunity to boost your company’s philanthropic contributions to the ISPE Foundation and its mission of fueling global health equity.
Through its Workforce Diversity Pillar programs, Women in Pharma®, and the ISPE Foundation Diversity Internship Program, the ISPE Foundation provides a pathway for the diverse and unique perspectives of all people to be heard within our industry. The ISPE Foundation’s Technology without Borders program has achieved notable progress, particularly with the successful completion of its inaugural cycle in Brazil, with over 130 Portuguese-speaking individuals benefiting from resources and training in their native language.
A communication was sent out in May announcing ISPE President and CEO Thomas Hartman’s retirement. Tom has served ISPE with passion, dedication, and strong leadership for the past four years. During his tenure, Tom fostered a culture of innovation and integrity, ISPE’s membership flourished and grew to over 22,000, and ISPE’s reputation as a thought leader in shaping the future of the pharmaceutical industry was enhanced. We are grateful for his commitment to the association, staff, and members. The Board of Directors has begun the search for a new CEO who will build upon the strong foundation established and lead us into a new era of growth and influence. Please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Tom and wishing him the best in his well-deserved retirement.
