FlyPharma Europe and biopharma logistics – finding the perfect location for today’s challenges while establishing the opportunities of tomorrow…

In the midst of the pandemic, the pharma industry was under pressure to not just maintain, but increase, its existing workload, while navigating the logistical challenges that COVID-19 placed in its path.

At a time when you would want your products to be produced and to reach patients twice as fast, it was twice as hard to make this happen.

Pharma manufacturers and logistics companies had to overcome these challenges to get their supply chains back on track and keep them there. Many companies not only did that, but embraced new opportunities and found success despite the industry’s disruption.

The FlyPharma Conference Europe is a two-day event that brings together pharma, biopharma and biotech companies with air cargo and logistics services to promote open dialogue and solution-finding between these stakeholders. In its triumphant return this September to Leipzig, Germany, the conference will explore the challenges still facing the industry today and tomorrow… but FlyPharma has always traditionally been hosted in a location with a strong pharma logistics background. So why Leipzig?

The German states of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt have a long history of scientific research and innovation, and their life sciences industry is strong. During the pandemic, this was no different: pharma, biopharma, biotech and medtech companies from the two regions joined forces between themselves and with logistics partners, developing and delivering products and services to combat the virus and launching them onto the market in a very short time frame.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are stored in specialised conditions in a fill-and-finish facility in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt; while IDT Biologika, a global contract manufacturer of vaccines and active ingredients based in Dessau, also Saxony-Anhalt, partnered with AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson to fill millions of vials with their viral vector vaccines against COVID-19.

The two regions have far more to offer than just vaccines: in Dresden, Saxony, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals has a site producing influenza vaccines for the global market. Saxony’s medical technology is also steeped in tradition and accounts for about 70% of the life sciences activity in the region.

The city of Leipzig, located in Saxony and close to the state’s border with Saxony-Anhalt, is a hub for stakeholders in the biotechnology, life sciences and healthcare industries. Its BioCity Campus has at its heart the very active life sciences technology cluster, BIO CITY LEIPZIG, providing a dedicated space for life sciences companies to work and conduct research, with a particular focus on supporting start-ups and generating partnership opportunities.

The international CEIV classification stands for ‘Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics’. It confirms that sensitive pharmaceutical goods are reliably handled in accordance with international standards. Certification requires appropriate quality management and regular training for all those involved in the process, along with a suitable infrastructure.  LEJ laid the foundations for this back in 2017 with a new cold storage facility in its World Cargo Center: a refrigerated warehouse based at the airport, ensuring ideal conditions for storing medical products.

On top of this, LEJ is also DHL’s largest hub anywhere in the world and it is the first regional air freight centre for Amazon Air in Europe. Located at the heart of Europe, the airport offers 24/7 operations to more than 80 cargo airlines, with routes encompassing more than 250 destinations around the globe, and has direct links to the trans-European road and rail networks.

All of this makes Leipzig an attractive and innovative life sciences and logistics hotspot. It’s also the perfect location for the next FlyPharma Conference Europe, which, following a hiatus due to COVID-19, will return on 20-21 September 2022 as a live, in-person event. Tailored to an audience of forward-thinking pharma and cargo decision-makers, this will be the ninth FlyPharma Conference to take place since its inaugural event in 2015, and the seventh based in Europe.

LEJ will support the conference as its headline sponsor, alongside Saxony Trade & Invest and Investment & Marketing Corporation Saxony-Anhalt, who will represent Leipzig’s two supporting regions as exhibitors.

The three companies also signed a cooperation agreement in May 2022 that will give a long-term boost to the Leipzig/Halle Airport region, or ‘airea – the Airport Region in Central Germany’, promoting it as a joint economic area across different federal states in Germany, as well as internationally, and making even more effective use of its potential to attract investors and new business.

A global audience of pharma logistics decision-makers will gather at FlyPharma Europe to discuss and debate the latest supply chain challenges and industry best practices. It’s important to find the right location to support these conversations, and FlyPharma Europe’s strategic decision to move to Leipzig, with its excellent life sciences resources and logistics strengths, reflects this.

FlyPharma Europe, Leipziger Messe, Leipzig, Germany
20-21 September 2022

For general enquiries contact Angela Heath –
angela@samedanltd.com

For sponsorship opportunities contact Simon Caplan
& Helga Schweissguth – sales@samedanltd.com

Register now or find out more at flypharmaeurope.com

Hot topics
One of the key topics on FlyPharma Europe’s agenda this year is COVID-19 challenges and opportunities. Based on FlyPharma’s series of ‘COVID Challenges’ webinars, an expert panel will look back on the lessons learned from the pandemic and tackle future obstacles still in the path of the pharma supply chain.

The impact of the pandemic is far-reaching, but there are many other industry hot topics that will also be covered during the conference, including:

• Time- and Temperature-Sensitive Cargo Handling
• Disaster-Proofing Your Supply Chain
• How Standards and Certifications Improve Quality and Reduce Risk
• Digitalization in Pharma Logistics
• Sustainability: Latest Initiatives
• Disruptive Innovation
• Managing Medicine Shortages.

Why Land At FlyPharma Europe?
Attending FlyPharma Europe will allow delegates to uncover the potential in their pharma supply chains. As well as widening their understanding of COVID-19’s current and future impact on pharma logistics, and gaining a greater appreciation of the life sciences and logistics strengths of Leipzig and surrounding regions, FlyPharma attendees will:

• Learn about the pharma supply chain’s hottest topics
• Meet pharma and cargo decision-makers
• Access technical sessions and interactive panel debates
• Complimentary invite to additional networking events
• Take part in an exclusive Leipzig/Halle Airport site tour.