Industry News and Updates

NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus are a new generation of insulin pens that record dosing information over a period of time. They are now available to people living with diabetes on NHS prescription.

Novo Nordisk has announced that two smart connected insulin pens, NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus, are now available on prescription for people living with diabetes treated with Novo Nordisk insulin in the UK.

NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus are insulin injection pens that record dosing information, including when and how much insulin was administered.This data can be uploaded to a compatible app, and viewed by people living with diabetes and their healthcare professionals. Currently, insulin injection dosing information is manually recorded in a log book or app. However, in clinical practice, incomplete or inaccurate information on insulin dosing and timing can be a significant barrier to optimising glycaemic control.

NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus can allow healthcare professionals to view their patients’ insulin dosing information, helping to facilitate more productive consultations and support personalised treatment guidance. Remote access to this data may also help to support a longer term transition from in-person to virtual care, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, which could also help alleviate pressure on health system capacity.

Emma Wilmot, Consultant Diabetologist, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust said: “Integrating innovative technology as a routine part of diabetes care is an important step to improve diabetes care. Novo Nordisk’s smart connected pens are an example of how technology can support people living with diabetes to gain greater insight into the management of their diabetes, on their journey to becoming experts in their diabetes. In my clinic, the opportunity to view daily insulin data will allow me to better support the individual with diabetes to achieve their goals. It will allow for more tailored and informed advice on optimisation of glucose levels, with the ultimate goal of improving future outcomes.”

Results from an observational study indicate that using NovoPen® 6 to administer their insulin could give people living with Type 1 diabetes close to two extra hours of improved glucose levels (measured as HbA1c 3.9 – 10.0 mmol/L) per day, with a reduction in time spent in hyperglycaemia (measured as HbA1c >10 mmol/L) and level 2 hypoglycaemia (measured as HbA1c <3.0 mmol/L).1 A further analysis looking at missed bolus doses (insulin that is specifically taken at mealtimes) indicated that NovoPen® 6 decreased the average daily number of missed doses by 43% (p=0.002) by the end of the study.

NovoPen® 6 and NovoPen Echo® Plus are reusable and in line with Novo Nordisk’s Circular for Zero ambition to have zero environmental impact.

Gibco CTS Xenon Electroporation System complements Thermo Fisher Scientific’s portfolio of end-to-end cell therapy solutions.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, has introduced a new large-volume electroporation system that allows cell therapy developers to more easily move from clinical development to commercial manufacturing. The Gibco CTS Xenon Electroporation System leverages a closed, highly flexible design to facilitate gene modifications without the use of traditional viral vectors. The electroporation approach enables the introduction of a payload into a cell by temporarily increasing cell permeability using an electrical pulse.

Unlike existing large-volume cell therapy electroporation solutions on the market, the Gibco CTS Xenon Electroporation System features programmable, flexible electroporation conditions, offering cell therapy developers full control to optimise a variety of hard-to-transfect cell types and payloads. The system may be used as a standalone technology or integrated with the Gibco CTS Rotea Counterflow Centrifugation System as part of a modular, closed and automated cell therapy manufacturing workflow.

“We launched the CTS Rotea System in 2020 as part of our strategy to deliver fit-for-purpose cell therapy solutions that can easily scale from development to commercialisation. Adding the CTS Xenon Electroporation System to our end-to-end workflow will help customers overcome manufacturing challenges that hinder production, enabling them to bring life-saving therapies to patients faster,” said Amy Butler, president of biosciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific.

The CTS Xenon Electroporation System can transfect up to 2.5e9 cells in 25 mL in a sterile system, enabling rapid and efficient non-viral transfection for clinical manufacturing applications. In addition, it delivers up to 80% cell viability and 90% gene knockout transfection to seamlessly scale from the small-volume Neon Transfection System without the need for re-optimisation of electroporation parameters.

As a Cell Therapy Systems (CTS) solution, the Xenon Electroporation System is designed to easily transition from the bench to the clinic. Thermo Fisher’s CTS product line offers a comprehensive portfolio of GMPmanufactured products backed by regulatory documentation and designed to work synergistically across the entire workflow, from cell isolation/activation to cell engineering and expansion, to address cell therapy developers’ manufacturing needs.

To learn more about the Gibco CTS Xenon Electroporation System, visit www.thermofisher.com/xenon

New Geneva-based event is set to bring together innovators in pharma packaging, devices and processing

Leading international events company Easyfairs today opens online registration for Connect in Pharma, the new event for the European pharma and biopharma community. The first edition of the event, taking place on 14 & 15 September 2022, will create a new vision of the future of pharma and biopharma packaging, devices and production.

Connect in Pharma will unite suppliers, specifiers and other influencers in four key areas of pharmaceutical production downstream from the molecule: packaging, medical devices, contract manufacturing (CMO/CDMO) and processing equipment. Alongside the exhibition, Connect in Pharma will host a range of features and initiatives designed to inspire and connect the community at the live event – as well as via an array of digital channels throughout the year.

The event is strategically located in Geneva, at the heart of a number of leading European pharma and biotech clusters in France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. The event has also partnered with leading associations such as Polepharma and Lyonbiopole, BioAlps, Swiss Biotech, Bionow in the UK and more.

Connect in Pharma is the latest launch from Europe’s leading network of events for the packaging supply chain, organised by Easyfairs, which takes place across 10 countries.

Renan Joel, Divisional Director for Packaging at Easyfairs, said: “The pharmaceutical market is experiencing incredible advances in drug delivery, packaging and contract manufacturing; but there was no event serving this sector in the heart of Europe. We are very excited to see so much enthusiasm already around Connect in Pharma and are very confident that it will create a fresh new hub for innovation and business in this market. The event will give both pharma companies and their suppliers an unrivalled opportunity to discover and shape the future of their products and the wider sector.”

Visitors to Connect in Pharma can expect to discover a range of innovative new drug delivery, packaging, filling, and assembling solutions as well as hearing from contract development manufacturing organisations (CDMO) that are changing the way drugs are brought to market.

With new developments in the field, including personalised treatments and nanotechnology among others, even greater changes are expected in the near future.

Heike Lang, Head of Marketing & Communications at Sanner GmbH, said: “Connect in Pharma has the potential to become the top event for pharmaceutical packaging and for CDMOs in Europe. As one of the key players for primary packaging and medical devices, we want to be part of this development from the very start.”

Over 60 industry-leading suppliers and associations in the pharma and biopharma sector have already signed up to exhibit at the event, including Becton Dickinson SAS, Staubli Robotics, ARaymondlife, Essentra, Gerresheimer, IMA Automation, Körber AG, MARCHESINI GROUP SPA, Nextpharm, and Unither Pharmaceuticals, among others. A full list can be found at www.connectinpharma.com/exhibitor/.

Stephanie Pellet, Marketing Manager at ARaymondlife, said the company was looking to showcase new injectable drugs and meet other companies. “We decided to join this new event because the pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland is a highly developed sector, from large corporations to small start-ups and research centres. This European-wide event is perfect in terms of the format and the time of year.”

Isabelle Levy-Dessart, WW Marketing Communication Associate Director at BD, said: “We believe that Connect in Pharma will be an exciting new force driving business and innovation in the pharma market, and we can't wait to meet the whole market in Geneva.”

Geneva, where Connect in Pharma will take place, provides the ideal meeting place to bring together leading pharmaceutical companies, biotechs and suppliers. Christian Frayret, Global Sales Director of Technoflex, said the location was one of the reasons Technoflex was eager to attend. “We strongly believe it’s the right place to highlight our innovative products dedicated to the pharma and biotech markets."

The first edition of Connect in Pharma will take place on 14 & 15 September 2022 at Palexpo Congress centre in Geneva, conveniently located next to the Geneva airport.

Register at registration.gesevent.com/survey/0e666gz1jz314?actioncode=5116