AI transforming pharma manufacturing

In this episode, host Lucy Chard and guest David Staunton of Cognizant dive into the transformative role of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, exploring advancements that are reshaping manufacturing, packaging, and distribution. From the rise of "smart factories" to the seamless integration of AI across specialised production processes, we discuss how technology is accelerating innovation and what the future holds for pharma in the next decade.

In the latest episode Lucy Chard engages in a compelling conversation with Dr Lengwe Sinkala, a seasoned clinician and Human Factors and User Experience Consultant at ClariMed. The discussion delves into the disparities in global access to medical devices, highlighting the stark differences between developed and developing regions. Tune in to the CPHI Podcast Series to hear Dr Sinkala’s inspiring insights and explore how we can collectively work towards a more equitable healthcare landscape. 

Jim Donovan from Pfizer CentreOne discusses the fast moving field of sterile injectables and how Pfizer CentreOne navigates the challenges in GLP-1s and beyond, and continuously works on being a consistent partner.

In this key episode, Digital Editor Lucy Chard is joined by Dr Molly Klote, former Director of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Human Research Protections. Molly sheds some light on the policy changes we have witnessed over the past few years in the US, including the latest executive orders regarding the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ policy whereby the US government aims to slash drug prices to match those of other developed countries.

This episode covers how the pharmaceutical industry can work towards better meeting the needs of an underserved population. Rare diseases are often overlooked by pharmaceutical companies when developing drugs as the process is time consuming, expensive, and only serves a niche market. But the patients suffering from rare diseases still deserve to have the best opportunity for life changing medicine. Dea Belazi from AscellaHealth discusses the challenges in this field, and the exciting paths into the future.

In this podcast Christine Furst, Senior Director Key Account Management Europe from Vetter joins host Lucy Chard to discuss the relationship between pharma companies and CDMOs and the impacts this relationship has on a business’s vision for the future.Taking into consideration that although the practical and technical aspects have to line up, more and more partnerships are placing value in the corporations seeing ‘eye to eye’ because they want the relationship to grow and flourish. We touch on the importance of people, sustainability and values aligning for building successful partnerships.

This month's podcast episode sounds a little different, covering the latest event in Paris - Pharmapack 2025. Digital Editor Lucy Chard speaks to several experts direct from the floor of the show, bringing you right in on the action. In this special episode we hear from experts Tom Etheridge from Team Consulting, Lizzie Smith from Anthesis Group, Asmita Khanolkar from SMC Ltd, and our very own Sherma Ellis Daal from Informa Markets to give a few different perspectives on some aspects of the event and the industry as a whole.

In this episode, Evonne Brennan joined host Lucy Chard for a chat about the complex world of excipients. Excipients is an ever changing field that involves a lot of moving parts and in the following episode Evonne gave an insight into some of these aspects. The podcast covers the security of the excipient supply chain and how this can influence issues such as drug pricing and drug shortages. Brennan highlights how important communication and collaboration is in this field for education and for pushing to find the next target for progress, that ultimately will make the lives of patients better.

In this episode Lucy Chard is joined by Rajiv Khatau to discuss the importance of looking into new therapeutic areas and some of the more niche areas of pharmaceuticals, discussing innovations and the potential for shaping the future of pharma on a global scale. In particular, and in light of the lead up to the inaugural CPHI Middle East in December 2024, Rajiv shares his expertise on the Middles East market and comments on why this region is so well suited to pushing the boundaries and becoming a leader in areas of biotech, genomics, and other public health fields.

In the latest episode Lucy Chard is joined by Thomas Cornell from Abzena to discuss protein engineering for drug design and development. Tom gives an insight into the world of protein engineering, how it’s an invaluable tool for improving the stability, functionality, and applicability for drug products. He comments on some aspects of the field that are particularly exciting at the minute, discussing some of the key aspects of antibody drugs, the potential for bispecifics in improving functionality, but also considering the parts such as genomics for creating a wider knowledge base, and in the future using computational design and AI to develop drugs more safely.