Best Practice - Case Studies from the User for the User

The PharmaCongress continues to evolve, with an even stronger focus on the participant experience. At its heart are the conference tracks, which address the latest issues and challenges each year and bring together representatives from regulatory authorities and industry for in-depth discussion.
At PharmaCongress & PharmaTechnica Expo 2026, the spotlight will once again be on practical case studies from pharmaceutical companies. Delegates can gain insights from the speakers’ day-to-day experience and benefit from direct, personal exchange—#sharing challenges and solutions in practice.

The annual PharmaCongress & PharmaTechnica took place for the 28th time, this year on March 24 and 25 2026. A record number of 1.400 congress participants and exhibition visitors per day attended the presentations by 122 specialist speakers in 8 conference tracks and the 16 live demonstrations in the expo hall.

On the first day of the congress, the Professor Wallhäuser Award for Innovations in GMP and Pharmaceutical Technology was presented. This year's winner, AstraZeneca Microbiology, showcased their project, 'Automated Reading of Agar Plates for Environmental Monitoring with AI'.

The keynote presentation on the second congress day “Quality Design, Excellence and Culture: The Lilly Alzey Site in Germany” by Bhushan Desai and Elodie Lorget (Eli Lilly Deutschland) received particular attention.

Conference Tracks

European Microbiology Jubilee Conference

To mark its 20th anniversary, the European Microbiology Conference, which has been held annually since 2008, was incorporated into a special framework and hold it as part of the GMP PharmaCongress. The conference track opened with a brief introduction to the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Working Group and continued with insightful presentations on recent regulatory developments. Experts from around the world shared their experiences with modern and alternative microbiological approaches, including for example phage therapy and innovative environmental monitoring techniques. Particular attention was given to contributions from representatives of local authorities and the FDA, who offered valuable perspectives on current trends and emerging developments in the field.

Experienced speakers from the field of ATMP explained the latest developments and current requirements and reported on their experiences during inspections and implementations in companys in the parallel track ATMP – Hurdles and Achievemnts in Quality and Safety.

Digital Transformation and AI

Digital transformation and AI have also become an increasing focus in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years. The conference included a series of presentations demonstrating how AI can be successfully integrated into daily business operations across the industry, with a particular focus on security and trustworthiness.

Prefilled Syringes and RTU/RTS

Both conference tracks “GMP for Prefilled Syringes” and “GMP Requirements and Challenges for RTU/RTS Material” focused on regulatory overviews and quality assurance in the manufacture of ready-to-use products. The impact of Annex 1 was particularly taken into consideration in various presentations. Practice-oriented presentations and case studies guided through production process simulations, from development over PFAS to packaging and delivery.

In addition, the established conference Tracks European Aseptic Technologies & Annex 1, GMP-compliant Clean Rooms and Facilities and Trends in Barrier Systems and Robotics featured a series of presentations on regulatory as well as technological developments and their impact on the daily business. Case Studies and a total of 15 Live Demonstrations added the perfect insights on latest technologies, products and services.

Lottery Winners 2026

During PharmaTechnica Expo 2026, visitors had the opportunity to take part in a lottery by collecting stamps and signatures from exhibitors.
The prizes for this year were:

• 2x Ipad (Apple Ipad Air Gen. 7)
• 2x GoPro Hero 13
• 2x Smartwatch (Amazon Active)

Congratulations to the winners!