Tech innovation and harmonisation emerge as key themes at Pharmap 2025
The congress also showcased trends from digital twins in manufacturing to sustainable packaging solutions, highlighting the industry’s shift toward connected, data-driven, and patient-centric models.
29 Apr 2025 | 172 Views | By WhatPackaging? Team
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Packaging Congress (Pharmap) 2025, held in Berlin, brought together over 300 senior leaders from global pharmaceutical giants, including Bayer, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, and Takeda.
Chakravarthi AVPS, global ambassador of World Packaging Organisation, delivered the keynote address on safe medicines, a global way forward for securing pharmaceutical integrity and patient safety. This set the tone for the congress with a call to action against the persistent threat of counterfeit drugs.
Reflecting on historic tragedies like the 1982 Chicago Tylenol case and today’s fragmented global supply chains, he underlined the urgent need for traceability, regulatory harmonisation, and packaging innovation. “Every medicine must be genuine, traceable, and safe,” he emphasised, spotlighting the role of advanced technologies like RFID, blockchain, and serialisation.
Chakravarthi outlined critical pathways for enabling digital traceability in developing nations through scalable tech and public-private partnerships and accelerating global harmonisation by aligning around GS1, ICH standards, and fostering mutual recognition agreements without undermining national priorities.
A discussion on navigating disruption, innovation in pharma supply chains, was held to build an agile and future-ready supply ecosystem. Experts from Takeda, LEO Pharma, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, and the European Co-Packers Association shared insights on AI-driven planning, the ethics of automation, and the strategic role of third-party logistics partners.