In recent years, the context surrounding the pharmaceutical industry has been growing towards digitalisation of processes. Manual operations in pharma are disappearing and have now declined to 1% in 2025. Although this is a major step forward, 69% of companies are struggling to fully implement digital solutions.
To help pharma companies move past pilot stages, the Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing Congress (PHARMAP) 2026 in Amsterdam explored the technological evolution of pharma. Gathering more than 180 companies, including Bayer, ESTEVE, GSK and Roche, the Congress facilitated major discussions among decision-makers on the industry’s main trends, including AI, serialisation, smart manufacturing and modern digital tools.
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Technologies for smart manufacturing
As PHARMAP 2026 brought together manufacturing leaders, process engineers and digital transformation officers, continuous manufacturing emerged as one of the key focuses of the event.
During the roundtable discussion, Devendra Ridhurkar, CEO and Founder of RidNova Pharmaceuticals, outlined the core technologies enabling the pharmaceutical industry to move beyond traditional batch processing.
Ridhurkar emphasised the critical role of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) in real-time monitoring and feedback control within Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) processes. According to the speaker, PAT directly improves efficiency, reproducibility and overall product reliability. The speaker further explained how PAT tools, such as near-infrared (NIR) and Raman spectroscopy, can be integrated directly into the extrusion line. These tools allow for real-time, non-destructive monitoring of critical process parameters. When combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data analysis, manufacturers can achieve instant detection of process deviations and trigger immediate corrective actions, paving the way for fully intelligent, continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing.
This shift from technology implementation to process intelligence was further developed in the presentation byBert von Garrel, CEO at StatSoft GmbH, who focused on the role of advanced analytics and AI in next-generation quality assurance. He highlighted a key challenge for the industry: pharmaceutical manufacturing is already data-rich, highly controlled and heavily documented, yet quality management often remains retrospective. In this context, advanced analytics enables a fundamental shift: from checking whether individual parameters stayed within limits to understanding whether the process is behaving as expected in its full complexity.
StatSoft’s approach connects root cause analysis, multivariate process monitoring, process capability, variation analysis and golden batch modelling. Together, these tools help manufacturers trace deviations back to their origin faster, detect patterns across multiple parameters simultaneously, define optimal process fingerprints and compare current performance against validated process behaviour.
Von Garrel also demonstrated how AI can support more predictive and proactive quality management in GMP-regulated environments. In predictive maintenance, AI models can analyse vibration, acoustic signals, pressure patterns, and temperature behaviour to detect systematic deviations from normal equipment performance before failure occurs. For example, pump monitoring can help identify early wear patterns, enable targeted intervention, avoid unplanned downtime, and protect batch integrity.
Together, these perspectives provided the participants with a clear understanding of embedding intelligence into every stage of production.
How to reduce counterfeiting via technology adaptation
As manufacturing becomes smarter, so does brand protection, as counterfeiting remains the critical risk to patient safety. In 2025, during Interpol Operation Pangea XVI, a total of 50.4 million doses of unapproved medicines were seized worldwide, underscoring the need for innovations that help to reduce the number of fake drugs.
During PHARMAP 2026, Nina Zehetmaier, Head of Sales at Securikett, addressed this challenge head-on, presenting a case for modular, integrated security concepts that go far beyond traditional serialisation. This approach combines tamper-evident labels, unique QR-based identifiers, security printing, NFC/RFID integration and anti-cloning technologies. Instead of treating these tools as separate measures, the company links them into one integrated system designed to protect both the product and the patient.
A key part of this is smart security labelling. Each product can receive a unique identifier that is scannable with a mobile phone, without the need for a special app. This allows patients, pharmacists and supply chain partners to verify the product and access relevant information instantly. At the same time, every scan creates valuable data for the brand owner, helping to detect suspicious activity, grey trade, or potential counterfeiting attempts.
Max Kabalisa, Manager of Digitisation & Traceability at UNICEF, continued the discussion by presenting the UNICEF approach to patient safety.
The company created the Verification and Traceability Initiative (VTI) – a multi-stakeholder effort designed to support countries in their journey toward secure, transparent medicine supply chains. The initiative operates on three pillars: Collaborate (engaging stakeholders and promoting knowledge sharing), Educate (distributing tools, frameworks, and guidelines, and Enable (connecting members to actionable strategies for executing their roadmaps).
From this initiative emerged TRVST platform – UNICEF’s flagship digital asset for traceability.
The system consists of several interconnected components:
- TRVST Verify: A mobile application that allows patients, pharmacists and health workers to scan product packaging and instantly verify authenticity – no special hardware required.
- TRVST Digital Link Resolver: A global validated solution enabling users to access digital content – such as e-leaflets – with a single scan. The system offers full self-service capability and is currently being trialed with six major pharmaceutical companies.
- TRVST Hub: A single integration point that connects manufacturers to national traceability systems, enabling seamless exchange of traceability data across borders.
As a result, the system already exists in 15 countries and contains over 50 million serialised packs, with 210 products actively being verified and growing.
Technologies to streamline pharma operations
Continuing the technological showcase, PHARMAP 2026 featured a Focus Exhibition Area, where 40+ vendors demonstrated their cutting-edge equipment and services that could help pharma companies further accelerate existing processes.
In the automation segment,ATS Automation Tooling Systems GmbHdemonstrated their PharmaScan technology. This technology enables reliable, high-speed inspection and traceability of pharmaceutical products – ensuring quality, compliance and safety at every step of the production process. Designed for seamless integration, PharmaScan helps manufacturers achieve maximum efficiency without compromising on precision.
In the IoT segment, Identiv presented their NFC, HF, BLE and UHF innovations. As 90-95% of all active smartphones globally are NFC-enabled, this technology becomes one of the most accessible and powerful tools for end-to-end pharmaceutical traceability. These solutions enable product authentication, real-time consumer engagement, user safety and sustainability compliance through seamless connections to digital ecosystems – all while improving supply chain efficiency.
For manufacturing, BWT Pharma introduced AQU@Sense MB – a smart microbial monitoring technology designed specifically for pharmaceutical water systems. The innovation addresses a long-standing pain point in pharma operations: the delay between water sampling and actionable results. Traditional methods take between three and five days to confirm microbial levels, creating a critical window of uncertainty during which production may need to be paused or water quality remains unverified.
AQU@Sense MBreduces that timeline, delivering reliable results in just 20 minutes. The system is fully automated, eliminating manual handling and the use of chemicals, which reduces both operator error and contamination risk. Beyond speed, the technology tracks real-time microbial trends, enabling early warnings before water quality deviates from acceptable limits. Validated to meet EU GMP Annex 1, USP <1223>, and Ph. Eur. 5.1.6, the system is ideal for Purified Water (PW) and Water for Injection (WFI) systems. For quality assurance managers, this means shifting from retrospective water testing to continuous, proactive microbial control.
Bringing the digital future closer
The technologies and insights shared at PHARMAP 2026 represent the next step in the ongoing evolution of the pharmaceutical industry, bringing it closer to a future where every operation functions seamlessly and delivers maximum results through technological innovation.
By showcasing real technologies and digital insights that are already shaping the industry, industry events like PHARMAP make the future of digitalisation more accessible and immediate. The Congress provides a platform where decision-makers can explore, discuss and get implementation strategies for advanced solutions like AI-driven analytics, smart manufacturing systems, and traceability tools. This interaction with tangible innovations accelerates the journey towards a fully digital future for pharma.
