Digital Health Leader Nik Leist to Present CPhI North America Keynote Address

Focus on innovation and the evolution of Digital Medicines highlights opportunities to fully and meaningfully engage with markets


NEW YORK, April 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CPhI North America, the only event to bring the complete North American pharma supply chain together, today announced Nik Leist, Senior Director of Ingestible Sensor Manufacturing and Site Leader at Proteus Digital Health, as the presenter of its second day keynote address at the 2nd Annual CPhI North America Conference. Currently, Mr. Leist leads the teams responsible for the end-to-end manufacturing operations for Proteus’ novel ingestible sensor technology. His keynote session, Integrating Silicon with Drugs: Pushing the Boundaries of Pharma Manufacturing with Digital Medicines, underscores the core theme of innovation that runs through this year’s CPhI Conference program, and will take place on Wednesday, April 25 from 1:15pm - 2:00pm. The session is open to all Conference Pass, Exhibitors, Expo Only, and VIP attendees.

During his keynote session, Mr. Leist will explore how the convergence of digital technologies and healthcare is fundamentally changing the way patients interact with their own health. With greater access to mobile applications and wearable devices, they are actively engaging with their medications in ways never seen before. Digital Medicines, developed over the last 16 years, and in real-world use in the last 2.5 years, is a driver of this change. Leist will outline the steps required, including customizing machinery and partnering with global pharmaceutical companies, to develop DigiMeds™. This new category of pharmaceuticals, pairing medications with sensors, opens the door for more informed decisions and conversations across the healthcare field and enables a true integration of technology directly into medications. 

“We are at a very exciting point in the evolution of Digital Medicines, now pushing the boundaries of Digital Health to facilitate individualized care, providing highly accurate diagnoses, and answering two of the most basic questions in healthcare: did the patient take their medication, and did the medication work?,” commented Mr. Leist. “The fact that people are starting to embrace technology to improve their health outcomes will help shift the focus onto the prevention of diseases and adverse health conditions rather than solely on curing them. I’m very much looking forward to presenting our work and to connect with my peers at CPhI North America.”

“Between Nik Leist and our other Conference keynote speaker Dr. Bertalan Mesko, we have two progressive thinkers whose work focuses on moving the narrative around the convergence of real-time high-speed communications, technology and life sciences forwards in a meaningful way,” added Joseph Marks, Brand Director for CPhI North America. “The pace of development is only set to increase and the better positioned, in terms of understanding and embracing the developing generation of devices, apps and interpretative platforms, that the pharmaceutical and biopharma industries are, the more agile they can be to embrace and leverage technology to optimize the opportunities to engage the market on a highly personal level.”

The CPhI North America Conference agenda includes discussions on pharmaceutical manufacturing, outsourcing, R&D, drug delivery and supply chain related topics for small and large molecule finished drugs, biopharmaceuticals, and biosimilars/biogenerics. With three designated tracks of programming: two tracks dedicated to pharmaceutical manufacturing, outsourcing, R&D, drug delivery and supply chain related topics for small and large molecule finished drugs, and one track dedicated to advancements in bio-manufacturing, the central theme for 2018’s conference is Fostering Innovation in Drug Development and Manufacturing. Specifically, the conference program will explore the latest developments in the following areas:

  • Novel Drug Delivery Systems – Emerging Technologies
  • R&D Innovation
  • Regulatory Developments
  • Continuous Manufacturing Advancements
  • Process Development
  • Tech Transfer
  • Quality Metrics / Supply Chain Best Practices
  • Bio-Manufacturing Opportunities and Challenges

There is a packed schedule featuring more than 30 sessions presented by leading industry figures and influencers. In addition to the conference program, a series of Insight Briefings, in-depth seminars on technical and business topics, will be freely accessible to all exhibition visitors. Topics include accelerated drug approval programs, the digital transformation of the pharmaceutical industry, supply chain security advancements, amongst others. There will also be a number of free Exhibitor Showcases taking place, providing a platform for industry professionals to present forward-thinking perspectives on their key products, innovations and services. Finally, the pharmaceutical Serialization Series provide a forum for thought leaders to present and discuss the latest insights and developments within the Serialization sector.

CPhI North America will take place April 24-26, 2018 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. It will feature an expanded show footprint ideal for networking, sourcing, education and innovation in drug development and manufacturing. Two new zones including a Bioprocessing Zone and the P-MEC Zone, a machinery zone to promote the latest technology in manufacturing equipment, will join legacy zones, InformEx, iCSE, FDF, InnoPack and CPhI.

Registration for CPhI North America is now open at: www.CPhINorthAmerica.com/register.
Accredited media and analysts can register their interest in attending at: https://chemical.connect.ubm.com/2018/registrations/Press.
Note that all press and analyst registrations are evaluated and screened.

The exhibitor floor has strategically been designed to include the following seven zones:

  • Bioprocessing: New for 2018, Bioprocessing zone will provide greater access and pathway to opportunities in the next generation of pharmaceuticals.
  • P-MEC: Also new for 2018. Machinery zone will showcase the latest pharmaceutical equipment, machinery and technology.
  • InformEx: Specialty and fine chemicals zone will address innovative molecule development.
  • CPhI: Manufacturing ingredients zone will support API and excipients
  • iCSE: Drug development zone will highlight world-class CROs specializing in both pre-clinical and clinical research for drug development.
  • FDF: Finished drug products zone will feature leading small and large molecule CDMO/CMOs.
  • InnoPack: Packaging zone will showcase packaging innovation.

More information about CPhI North America and the conference program is available at  CPhINorthAmerica.com.

About CPhI
CPhI drives growth and innovation at every step of the global pharmaceutical supply chain from drug discovery to finished dosage. Through exhibitions, conferences and online communities, CPhI brings together more than 100,000 pharmaceutical professionals each year to network, identify business opportunities and expand the global market. CPhI hosts events across Europe, Asia and, now, North America and co-locates with iCSE for contract services, P-MEC for machinery, equipment & technology, InnoPack for pharmaceutical packaging and Bioprocessing for biopharma. CPhI provides an online buyer & supplier directory at www.CPhI-Online.com. For more information, please visit www.CPhI.com.

About UBM Americas
UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, delivers events and marketing services in the fashion technology, licensing, advanced manufacturing, automotive and powersports, healthcare, veterinary and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Through a range of aligned interactive environments, both physical and digital, UBM Americas increases business effectiveness for customers and audiences through meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections. The division also includes UBM Brazil's market leading events in construction, cargo transportation, logistics & international trade, and agricultural production; and UBM Mexico's, construction, advanced manufacturing and hospitality services shows. For more information, please visit www.ubmamericas.com
  
Media Contacts:

Jess Schoenholtz, CPhI North America                           
jess.schoenholtz@ubm.com                                         
609-433-8655           

Mark Button, CG Life
mbutton@cglife.com 
408-310-2168