North Bethesda, Md. – September 24, 2026 -- The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) will convene its 2026 Annual Meeting & Expo in Washington, D.C. from October 18-21, drawing pharmaceutical manufacturing leaders for four days of hybrid sessions combining in-person and virtual attendance.
Lonza and Eli Lilly executives headline keynote lineup on manufacturing innovation
Wolfgang Wienand, PhD, CEO of Lonza, will present "The Lonza Engine: Manufacturing the Medicines of Tomorrow," while Kevin Trivett, Senior Vice President of Device and Packaging Operations Manufacturing at Eli Lilly and Company, delivers "Lilly: Embracing Technology to Reach Patients." Additional featured speakers include Marla Phillips, PhD, CEO and President of Pathway for Patient Health LLC, addressing AI and human oversight in manufacturing loops, and cancer survivor and research advocate Jamie Valvano.
Regulatory town hall targets AI-driven quality surveillance on October 21
A Global Regulatory Town Hall titled "From Snapshots to Surveillance: How Data, Maturity and AI are Re-shaping Quality and Compliance" will bring together industry and regulatory leaders to examine how technology adoption could accelerate safe, sustainable therapy delivery to patients.
Five conference tracks span innovation, digital transformation and workforce development
The agenda organizes sessions into five tracks: innovative therapies, digital transformation and data integrity, regulatory and quality leadership, resilient and sustainable operations, and workforce capability development. Connie Langer, International Program Committee Chair and Regulatory Intelligence Lead for Pharma Quality, Safety, and Environmental Operations at Pfizer, described the tracks as forming a connected narrative tracing innovation from development to patient delivery.
Sunday workshops precede main conference with facility standardization focus
Five interactive workshops on October 18 will cover Annex 1 facility design for risk reduction, sustainable sourcing operations, digital validation practices, standardizing manufacturing across multiple sites, and pharma agility strategies.
Emerging Leader Hackathon and AstraZeneca facility tour bookend main sessions
The 2026 ISPE International Emerging Leader Hackathon runs October 17-18 ahead of the main conference, while a facility tour to the AstraZeneca Commercial Cell Therapy Facility is scheduled for October 22, following the close of formal sessions. Attendees will also have access to a pickleball zone in the Expo Hall on October 19 and 20.