The Medtech & Pharma Platform Association (MPP) 8th Annual Conference (MPP2021), dedicated to ‘Achieving agility to foster innovation and bring value to patients’, took place on 21 October 2021. More than 460 registered participants from industry, patient organizations, academia, regulators, notified bodies and national competent authorities took part in the conference, enjoyed its high-level program, and organized 1-on-1 meetings throughout the day.
The conference was opened by the MPP’s President Shayesteh Fürst-Ladani (SFL), Kaspar Sutter (Canton of Basel-Stadt) and the MPP2021 Program Committee Chair, Dorit Prüfer (Roche). In her keynote address, Jacqueline Huh (Stop TB Partnership) drew lessons from her experience in the fight against tuberculosis for global health and healthcare. She advocated for a multi-disease approach to health and to the access and delivery of healthcare services. Salvatore Scalzo (European Commission), Khair ElZarrad (US FDA), Anthony Humphreys (EMA), Birka Lehmann (University of Bonn), Jonathan Sutch (Team-NB) and Jack Turner (UK MHRA) shared global perspectives on the future framework for combined products during a panel discussion moderated by the MPP President. They agreed on the necessity to achieve a certain degree of convergence.
The panelists evoked different pathways to ensure that the framework is fit for new technologies, such as the creation of regulatory sandboxes and new ways to engage with stakeholders. The audience was given the opportunity to ask question and take part in the discussions via several polls on. In the afternoon, attendees took part in 4 sessions during which experts presented their experience and shared their view on different topics relevant for combined products. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with them during Q&A sessions.
