In recently attending several industry events, I heard a common theme from both pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers. The stakes for successfully managing the outsourced relationship have never been higher. For pharmaceutical companies seeking to optimize their external supply networks as part of their overall development and manufacturing strategies, and for contract service providers seeking to be part of that network, the bar is being raised. So what are the changing expectations and critical success factors in outsourcing?

That issue will be explored in greater depth by industry experts at a panel discussion at Interphex, as part of a two-day series of panel discussions, to be held Mar. 29 and Mar. 30, organized by Pharmaceutical Technology, BioPharm International, and Interphex. The panel discussions will be held at the Interphex Main Stage (located in the InterphexConnects area, Booth 3477) at the Javits Center in New York. The panel discussion on outsourcing, which will be held from 2:30 to 3:30 on Wed. Mar. 30, will be moderated by outsourcing expert, Jim Miller, president of PharmSource Information Services and contributing editor to Pharmaceutical  Technology and  BioPharm International. Joining Jim will be Mark Scheftel, executive director of global procurement at Merck & Co., and Peter T. Bigelow, president of North American operations for the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Patheon.

The higher bar is being set as CDMOs become a more integral part of a pharmaceutical company’s development and manufacturing strategies and as pharmaceutical companies face a more complex and global supply chain. The increased importance of outsourcing was noted by Tony Maddaluna, president of Pfizer Global Manufacturing, in the January 2011 issue of Pharmaceutical Technology, when he said: “…the industry has adopted a globally competitive cost manufacturing model that incorporates contract manufacturing as a strategic business tool.” The experts in the Interphex Main Stage panel discussion will look into this more deeply from both sides of the outsourced relationship: from the sponsor company and the CDMO perspectives. The evolving requirements and expectations in CDMO selection, supplier innovation, project management, and overall supplier relationship management will be examined. The outsourcing panel discussion at Interphex Main Stage (located in the InterphexConnects area, Booth 3477) on Mar. 30 provides an opportunity for a first-hand dialogue on these important concerns in the current and future paradigm for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Published by Patricia Van Arnum on March 15, 2011 07:47 am under Industry conferences, Outsourcing