ISPE Japan’s Annual Meeting, always the leading event in the affiliate’s calendar, was especially festive this year as the group celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. Held 18 and 19 May at the Toyama International Conference Center in the mountainous Chūbu region on central Honshū, the event was titled “A Brave New World of Innovation: What Does It Hold for Us?”
With Asia-Pacific emerging as a major pharmaceutical market, ISPE Japan has enjoyed vigorous growth since its establishment in 2001. Membership is now well over 800, a remarkable increase from the below-100 level of the pre-inauguration days, and most of the affiliate’s activities are performed by its 16 communities of practice.
The meeting, which celebrated the affiliate’s history while looking forward to future industry trends, hosted 567 attendees, with an international cast of invited speakers, full program of sessions, table-top exhibitions, and events that included the popular networking party. Participants came from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and regulatory authorities. Simultaneous translation between Japanese and English was provided during the first day of meeting sessions.
Keynote speakers were:
- Norikazu Eiki, former Chairman of Bayer Japan and a member of the ISPE Global Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Leadership Forum
- Siôn Wyn, Director, Conformity Ltd.
- Harry Rothenfluh, PIC/S Assistant Secretary Manufacturing Quality Branch, Therapeutic Goods Administration Department of Health
- Shingo Sakurai, PMDA Office of Manufacturing/Quality and Compliance, Office Director
Concurrent with the Japan Annual Meeting, the affiliate also hosted the Asia Pacific Affiliate Council annual face-to-face meeting, with excellent attendance from both council members and ISPE staff.
