CPhI Festival of Pharma has announced its fortnight long agenda. The event will see global industry figures come together with more than 20,000 attendees.

Among more than 50 different content sessions, former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb will use his keynote platform to implore the industry on continuing its efforts towards combining record innovation with affordable healthcare. His talk will explore how the industry can use this moment to implement more sustainable models, increased patient access, and look ahead at how alternative payment models will improve future healthcare delivery.

In another address, Adrian van den Hoven, Director General, Medicines for Europe will explore the question of how lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the commission’s strategy for pharmaceutical policy. Outcomes will shape the direction of policy decisions in an ongoing updat of pharmaceutical legislation, and therefore, opportunities and challenges ahead for manufacturers operating both within and outside Europe.

Gil Roth will deliver a keynote on ‘the future of drug manufacturing’. The session will address the current outlook for the CDMO sector, geopolitics and onshoring as well as the legacy COVID-19 may have on pharma supply chains, clinical trials and inspections.

One of the most recent supply side contingencies government and industry has sought to mitigate against is a reliance on international API sources. A panel discussion will explore what the future of API production will look like, and how the duality of a growing domestic industry will play out against macro changes for hybrid international sourcing models.

Tara Dougal, Head of Content at CPhI Festival of Pharma, said: “It’s vital in this moment that we empower global pharma with insights and learning in a rapidly evolving global landscape. But of course, global travel restrictions have limited in-person events, so the need for a virtual platform with a holistic perspective has never been greater. To realise our aspirations, we are running the event across two weeks so that we can cover everything from drug discovery and APIs, through to pricing, vaccine development and future technologies like 3D-printed dosages, AI and cell and gene therapies”.