New Insights, Fresh Voices

As I reflect back on the past few issues of Pharmaceutical Commerce, it seems as though they’ve been released at the perfect time, with PC’s February and April issues being unveiled right after Trade & Channel Strategies and the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA)’s Distribution Management conferences, respectively. Our June issue follows that same trend, as LogiPharma Europe—held in April in Lyon, France—is barely in the rearview.

I was recently chatting with Group Managing Editor Michael Christel when it occurred to the both of us that the publication was in need of a "Conference Connect"-type section that is fully dedicated to what the title suggests—a “behind-the-scenes” look inside the various conferences and trade shows that the editorial team attends. For that reason, readers will notice that this new component will become a consistent staple of future issues (as long as we happen to attend a show in that timeframe, of course). The first installment fdetails the various educational sessions that I attended at LogiPharma Europe. Something I did mention, but didn’t get into too much detail on, however, were the video interviews with SMEs in attendance that took place. I had the pleasure of sitting down with key opinion leaders from Johnson & Johnson, MSD, and Envirotainer to really pick their brains.

When I spoke with Niklas Adamsson, COO of Envirotainer, he offered his thoughts on the future of cold chain storage and transportation of pharmaceutical products. This activity has not only featured a rapid increase in demand for ultracold shipments (and more temperature ranges being shipped), but a need for solutions that can accommodate those ranges. Adamsson also discussed the importance of practicing sustainability by making shipments as efficient as possible when it comes packaging material and how much energy is used.

One could make the argument that the industry is well on its way in accomplishing these efforts. A Vantage Market Research report assessed last year’s global sustainable pharmaceutical packaging market to be worth $71.1 billion, and by 2030, it is expected to balloon to $190.2 billion, with glass in sustainable packaging (via bottles, containers, etc.) expected to account for over 38% of total sales by that same year.

Changing gears, we are delighted to announce the addition of a pair of new editorial contributors to PC's print coverage. I’d like to welcome the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation—a non-profit whose goal is to help Americans pay for medical procedures—and Bill Roth of IntegriChain—a business process platform and consulting company—to the Pharma Commerce team. Both of their inaugural columns are featured in this issue. Please join me in welcoming them!

Nicholas Saraceno is Pharmaceutical Commerce's Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].