Welcome to the September-October issue of Pharmaceutical Engineering! This issue features a special preview of the ISPE 2018 Annual Meeting & Expo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Annual Meeting is a good time to reflect on the work that ISPE is doing to update and improve our structure, delivery of services, and development and implementation of various programs and products. The direction we are following is driven by the ISPE Strategic Plan. Our Strategic Plan, a composite of your collective views and input, guides our decision-making and contains our goals for a four- to five-year horizon.
The current Strategic Plan began in 2016 and concludes next year. ISPE’s Board of Directors is already working to refresh the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan’s strategic goals are rapid information delivery, driving efficient manufacturing operations, local and regional relevance, compelling member and industry value, and operational strength.
Great progress has been made in developing and implementing a range of projects to support these goals: we completed 15 projects in 2016 and 20 in 2017. Thirty projects are either complete or in progress for 2018.
Here are just a few of these achievements:
- Create and implement the ISPE Foundation - The ISPE Foundation launched in June with three key initiatives to start
- ISPE collaborations with other associations, educational institutions, and foundations - ISPE signed a memorandum of understanding with the Parenteral Drug Association for potential collaboration on quality metrics and quality culture topics, and engaged in other cooperative initiatives with organizations including Pew Charitable Trusts, University of St. Gallen, and a cross-industry association group
- The ISPE Guidance Document Portal is a new member benefit - The ISPE Guidance Document portal offers 24 Good Practice Guides for free as part of your ISPE membership
- Redesigned ISPE web site - The design and platform updates were completed last year with a fresh look and easier navigation
- New Pharmaceutical Engineering online site - The new site will bring you a more accessible Pharmaceutical Engineering format plus new content
- A range of regulatory interactions since 2016. These include:
- More than 200 regulators from 20 countries participated as speakers, leaders, or panelists at ISPE events in Europe, Asia–Pacific, and the US
- ISPE presented at three invitation-only EMA workshops and meetings
Developing the Strategic Plan and implementing toward its goals is a critical and crucial endeavor that the organization has in defining its remit. It’s a collective responsibility that we all have as one ISPE. Your input in this sense is valued as all ISPE members play an important part in our achievements. Beyond this seminal task, your contributions to Pharmaceutical Engineering, guidance documents, conferences and training, committees, and communities of practice are necessary and appreciated in meeting ISPE’s strategic goals.
I look forward to continuing our work together and I hope to see you in Philadelphia at the 2018 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo. We will share more about our achievements to date and those that are on the way.
