Interphex 2011, which will be held at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from March 29 - 31, 2011 has the official watchwords as "Innovation, Intelligence and Passion" and these are words its organizers have taken to heart in developing this year's event.
More than 650 suppliers (including more than 100 new exhibitors) and 1,000 product lines will fill the show floor's four exhibit zones: Facilities, Sourcing & Services, Automation: Systems & Controls and Manufacturing & Packaging. Adding to the activity will be more than 30 technical sessions, roundtables, live in-depth interviews, a new meeting service and a series of special events.
This year marks ISPE's 14th year as the major sponsor of Interphex and both organizations will join with Pharmaceutical Processing magazine to showcase category winners in the seventh annual Facility of the Year Award (FOYA) programme, in a special winners' center in the Facilities Zone:
? Process Innovation: F. Hoffman - La Roche Ltd.: "MyDose" Clinical Supply facility in Kaiseraugst, Switzerland
? Facility Integration: Merck & Co., Inc.: Global Clinical Supplies Manufacturing, Packaging and Warehouse Expansion, Summit, New Jersey, USA
? Project Execution: MedImmune, LLC: Frederick Manufacturing Center (FMC) Expansion facility in Frederick, Maryland, USA
? Equipment Innovation: Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics GmbH: "MARS Project" (Marburg Site) facility in Marburg, Germany
? Operational Excellence: Pfizer Health AB: Project Pegasus - Bio 7 Manufacturing facility in Strängnäs, Sweden
?Sustainability: Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH: SPRING & E-MAP (Strategic Plant Restructuring & Energy Master Plan) project in Freiburg, Germany
? Honorable Mention: Shire HGT: Project Atlas, Building 400 facility in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA
Adding to the FOYA event anticipation is the realization that this is the only joint appearance the winners will make apart from the ISPE Annual Meeting in November 2011, when one category winner will be named Overall Winner. Integrated Project Services (IPS), which provides technical consulting, engineering, construction and commissioning and qualification services, will also host two technology tours focusing on single-use (SU) bioprocessing and advanced aseptic processing technologies. The tours will be held on March 30, with participating exhibitor subject matter experts outlining available technologies and unique equipment configurations. There will also be an aseptic and SU reception.
The Main Stage will be The Signature Series, a two-day lineup of programmes and interviews with global experts, led by Michelle Hoffman, Editorial Director of Pharmaceutical Technology magazine:
? Challenges for Continuous Processing: Moheb Nasr, Director, Office of new Drug Quality Assessment, CDER, FDA; Alex Cheung, Director/Team Leader of the Technology, Science and Operations Group, Pfizer Global Supply Division, Pfizer Inc.; Fernando Muzzio, Professor Chemical Engineering, Rutgers University and President, Mixing Consultants, Inc.
? The Future for a Fully Integrated Platform: James Evans, Associate Director Novartis-MIT Center for Continuous Manufacturing
? Automating Stem-Cell Manufacturing: Bob Speziale, Vice President Business Development, Invetech
?China: The New Pharma Frontier: Xiong Yu, Vice President, China Institute for the Pharmaceutical Industry (CIPI); Feng Li, Senior Vice President, Advanced Pharmaceuticals. Presented in conjunction with Advanced Pharmaceuticals
? Jim Miller on Outsourcing: Jim Miller, President and CEO, PharmSource and Outsourcing Columnist, Pharmaceutical Technology and a respected outsourcing consultant, returns to INTERPHEX for his annual review of important trends for contract providers.
? Outsourcing Discussion: Mark Scheftel, Executive Director, Direct Materials Procurement, Merck Global Procurement; Peter T. Bigelow, President, North American Operations, Patheon. Moderated by Jim Miller. On the Main Stage
And adding to the knowledge base will be luncheon roundtables presented by BioProcess International, including the panel discussions .
For Interphex participants, a special event may be the individual meeting that makes a difference, arranged through this year's new Interphex Connects One2One Meetings, sponsored by Contract Pharma. The new service will bring attendees with sourcing needs together with contract manufacturers and other service providers exhibiting in the Sourcing & Services Zone, where the staffed meeting center will be located. Eligible attendees will be able to book up to five meetings in advance, in six private meeting rooms. Meetings arranged on-site will also be available.
Rounding out the special events roster will be the Opening Night Reception, open to all attendees and exhibitors.
Event organizers and the 2011 Interphex Advisory Board have developed a two-day program of comprehensive technical education with more than 30 sessions that address contemporary pharmaceutical issues and provide immediately usable knowledge. Attendees also have the opportunity to submit questions to the Conference Programme speakers in advance, at www.Interphex.com.