Conference Highlights

The 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo is set for 26–29 October in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and virtually. ISPE invited conference committee members, Peter Millili, Senior Director, Manufacturing Science and Technology, Johnson & Johnson, and Stephanie Stärkle, Process Engineer, VTU Engineering to share their insights on what key industry challenges and pain points the conference will address, key trends and hot topics to anticipate, and what they’re most looking to at this year’s conference.

In a field defined by innovation, regulation, and rapid change, personal transformation can be just as vital as technical advancement. The Women in Pharma® community recognizes that today’s professionals face challenges not only in the lab or on the manufacturing floor, but also within themselves—especially when it comes to career reinvention, self-doubt, and visibility. That’s why “From Imposter to Impact: Reinventing Your Career with Confidence,” a workshop powered and led by Women in Pharma, promises to be a powerful catalyst for growth, courage, and career clarity.

The 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, ISPE’s largest event of the year, is quickly approaching, taking place 26–29 October in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and virtually. In the videos and transcripts that follow, several 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo Committee Members weigh in on industry challenges, emerging opportunities, and what they are most looking forward to at this year’s conference.

North Carolina has rapidly emerged as one of the nation’s leading hubs for pharmaceutical manufacturing, with a thriving ecosystem that brings together global companies, innovative startups, world-class research institutions, and a highly skilled workforce. Attending the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo provides a unique opportunity to connect directly with industry leaders and decision-makers who are driving the future of pharmaceutical production, regulation, and innovation.

Ciby Abraham, PhD, Senior Director and Group Manager, Project and Product Leadership, AstraZeneca, is Committee Chair for the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, ISPE’s largest event of the year. The event will take place 26–29 October in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

The pharmaceutical industry is evolving—fast. As patients’ needs grow more complex and technologies become more advanced, the demand for innovative, patient-centric drug delivery solutions is reshaping how we think about manufacturing. This October, the 2025 ISPE International Emerging Leader Hackathon will bring together the next generation of pharma professionals to tackle this transformation head-on.

ISPE Podcast: Shaping the Future of Pharma has published an episode featuring Gunter Baumgartner, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Engineering at Takeda Pharmaceuticals International AG and Executive Chair of the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo. The conference is ISPE’s largest event of the year and is set to take place 26–29 October in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, and virtually.

You won't want to miss the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA 26–29 October. This isn’t just another industry gathering; it’s where our community challenges assumptions, learns from each other, and shapes the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

As the autumn leaves begin to turn, we approach an event I anticipate each year—the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, 26 – 29 October in North Carolina, US, a state renowned for its thriving life sciences ecosystem, and where I have lived for more than 20 years. This year’s 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo isn’t just another industry conference, it’s a convergence of thought leaders, innovators, and practitioners committed to advancing pharmaceutical science and manufacturing. The program is always rich with insights, and there are several sessions on this year’s agenda that I am already looking forward to attending. Below, I’ll highlight the sessions I’m most looking forward to and explain why I believe they are not to be missed.

The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a pivotal transformation. As professionals strive to develop therapies faster, more cost-effectively, and with greater precision, Pharma 4.0™ emerges as a powerful framework for change. This evolution is not only technological—it is cultural. It challenges organizations to become more agile, data-driven, and patient-focused.

As the pharmaceutical industry evolves, sustainability is becoming a key driver of operational efficiency and long-term success. From reducing carbon emissions to enhancing workforce safety, companies are aligning their practices with sustainability goals. The 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo is the ideal platform to exchange ideas and drive this shift. This year’s Sustainability and Supply Chain Resilience track will feature sessions highlighting how companies meet compliance demands while reducing their environmental footprint and delivering measurable business value. By aligning sustainability with Pharma 4.0™, the sessions will show how digital transformation accelerates implementation, enhances returns on investment, and supports continuous improvement.

Pharma 4.0™ represents a transformative shift within the pharmaceutical industry, redefining how medicines are developed, manufactured, and delivered. At its core, Pharma 4.0 involves the integration of advanced digital technologies and robust data solutions into every facet of pharmaceutical manufacturing. This comprehensive digital transformation aims to substantially enhance productivity, efficiency, and flexibility and is crucial for delivering the next generation of innovative medicines to patients more rapidly and reliably.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers are always under pressure to move faster, stay compliant, and deliver high-quality products in a constantly changing landscape. The Manufacturing, Quality Control, and Operational Excellence track at the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo highlights how companies are adapting, leading with innovation, and building operations that are smarter, stronger, and more flexible.

The pharmaceutical sector is undergoing a profound transformation. As digital technologies continue to evolve, organizations are under increasing pressure to modernize legacy systems, enhance operational efficiency, and maintain compliance in a rapidly shifting regulatory landscape. The Digital Transformation track at the 2025 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo will showcase how companies are embracing digital transformation and Pharma 4.0™. The Digital Transformation track will feature 14 informative sessions that highlight not just the "what," but crucially, the "how" of navigating this complex landscape. Looking at our agenda, several critical themes emerge: