Q&A with John Bournas, 2018 Medicine Maker Power List Top 10

ISPE’s CEO and President John Bournas was once again recognized as a top-10 Industry Influencer on The Medicine Maker’s 2018 Power List.

What does being on this prestigious list mean to you?

Bournas: I am proud to represent the strides ISPE has made to support the improvement of facilities and the manufacturing of quality medicines. When I see the names of Andy Skibo and Jim Breen, two of ISPE’s guiding beacons, on the same list, I also feel humbled as well as honored with this recognition.

Looking at the overall composition of the illustrious members of each category, I am optimistic about the future of the industry to produce safe, quality, and more effective drugs to improve patient health worldwide.

Would you share some insight on one of the initiatives that got you recognized?

Bournas: One initiative I’m particularly proud of is ISPE’s Women in Pharma® (WIP). While many industries are making significant strides to address imbalances in the representation of women and diversity in the workplace, the pharmaceutical industry is lagging behind. This is demonstrated in the Pharmaceutical Executive magazine’s 2016 Pharma 50 study which showed that only 17% of women in the pharmaceutical industry hold board seats and just 12% are executive committee members.

We created the WIP initiative to increase equality and opportunity for this underrepresented group. WIP has grown remarkably since the inaugural event at the 2016 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo and it plays a key role in creating a 365-day view in the pharmaceutical industry by providing:

• A forum for connecting and collaborating on technical and career advancement topics
• Opportunities to speak, deliver technical presentations, and contribute to panel discussions
• A community of WIP mentors, educational sessions, and resources aimed to enable career success and work-life balance

Since inception, a few of the programs WIP has delivered include: launching its Online Networking Community; hosting WIP Networking Dinners at the ISPE Annual Meeting; leading technical sessions at ISPE conferences and many more.

WIP continues to strengthen as one of ISPE's premier Communities.

What emerging regulatory or manufacturing technique/technology trends do you want to see driven to fruition in the near future?

Bournas: Continuous manufacturing (CM) has exploded in the past few years, fueled by recent regulatory approvals of the first drug products to be manufactured by this emerging technology. The CM paradigm can offer significant quality and cost advantages over batch manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug products—including safety from reduced human intervention, smaller manufacturing footprint, higher process efficiencies, and reduction in post-manufacture testing for release.

Even with these benefits being recognized by industry and regulators, as well as the demonstration of successful results using CM, there’s still a lot of technical and regulatory barriers to overcome. During the 2018 ISPE Continuous Manufacturing Workshop, we will explore the current state of CM and hear from diverse industry front-runners, academic leaders, and regulatory experts who have influenced and implemented continuous manufacturing strategies and successfully launched products using the technology.

What future aspirations do you have for ISPE that would impact the pharmaceutical industry?

Bournas: Recognizing the need for a globalized, harmonized, and diversified pharmaceutical industry, ISPE established the ISPE Foundation to raise private philanthropic support and to fund key initiatives that will strengthen the industry for all.

The ISPE Foundation seeks to address head-on challenges affecting the pharmaceutical industry by establishing and building the following:

• ISPE Travel Grant Program – Focus on supporting young professionals from underrepresented groups to increase diversity, and to foster global inclusion and collaboration.
• Women in Pharma® - Increase the scale and range of opportunities offered to women in the pharmaceutical industry through an annual program of technical education sessions, professional and career mentorship, networking events, and online tools/resources.
• Emerging Markets Knowledge Exchange – Share pharmaceutical knowledge via the translation of ISPE documents, both existing and new.
• Training Fund – Promote global learning for ISPE Members as well as foster regulatory and government agency engagements that would promote harmonization and standardization.

The Medicine Maker Power List recognizes 100 pharmaceutical professionals across four categories, each made up of 25 noteworthy professionals—and each with its own top ten:

• Masters of the Bench – scientists and researchers whose late-night lab work lays the foundations for new therapeutics.
• Industry influencers – individuals who drive industry best practices and regulations, as well as new manufacturing techniques and technologies.
• Business Captains – leaders and entrepreneurs who turn scientific ideas into marketable medicines.
• Champions of Change – patrons of the industry who are striving to make the world a better place by getting medicines to those who need them the most.

View the complete Medicine Maker 2018 Power List.