"Cost pressure and the urge to innovate - where is Germany heading as a pharmaceutical location?" -this central question was discussed by industry experts at the "Handelsblatt Pharma 2023 Annual Conference" in Düsseldorf on March 22 and 23.
Around 100 well-known players from the industry were on hand to provide exciting impetus from a variety of perspectives. In addition to representatives of major associations, health insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and the Federal Ministry of Health, our experts Nicole Wallner and Axel Heueis were also present.
Many of the topics and challenges discussed were already familiar from previous years. These included the high costs of pharmaceuticals and their reimbursement models, the lack of digitization, the current legal situation, and also the securing of supply chains through increased onshoring and nearshoring. For the first time, the topic of sustainability and ESG was hotly debated in the pharmaceutical industry.
Our Head of ESG Project Management, Nicole Wallner, and our life sciences expert and Associate Partner Axel Heueis were sought-after discussion partners. For example, they answered questions on the topic of sustainability in an interview and were able to provide important food for thought. In the pharmaceutical industry in particular, ESG is less widespread than in other sectors. Discussions focused on concrete ESG-related measures, but also on the impact of the new EU taxonomy with its associated transparency requirements for the life sciences industry. After all, if you want to be future-oriented and successful in the long term, you have to deal with concrete sustainability strategies at an early stage - both on an ecological and social level. Facing up to one's ecological, social and corporate responsibility is therefore more important than ever.
How central this topic is was also shown during the breaks by the numerous questions about biodiversity, basic strategies and own approaches. A great event that provided many new impulses