London-based SMi Group Ltd is at the forefront of linking businesses with information, organising over 160 conferences and 100 executive briefings every year. The company has announced that it will hold the third annual pharmaceutical packaging and labelling conference at Crowne Plaza Hotel -The City, London, United Kingdom, from February 21-22, 2007.

The two-day programme is expected provide a platform for the participants to discuss current innovations on pharma packaging and labelling. The event will also feature interactive sessions.

The company said, that the conference assumes importance in the wake of emerging role of packaging and labelling in the pharmaceutical industry as a defence mechanism against counterfeiting. Also, the packaging and labelling act as an ambassador telling us about the ingredients and measure of patent safety.

The conference will have sessions on advances in packaging technologies, outsourcing, legislation, anti-counterfeiting and tracking, product safety and easy of use and networking opportunities.

Experts in the field include: Viliam Kovac, vice president, quality management global logistics, Roche. Satish Rajkondawar, director, industrial affairs, Sanofi-Aventis India. Dietmar Weitzel, associate director, global packaging development, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics. Monika Derecque-Pois, director general, European Association of Full-Line Wholesalers in Europe. Dr Claudia Okeke, scientific fellow, USP. Stephen Wilkins, secretary general, child safe packaging group and John Gill OBE, chief scientist, National Institutes of the Blind will address the key issues regarding packaging and labelling, the organiser said.