Events

Continuing on with the PIER Career Focus webinars highlighting some of the careers that pharmacists hold in industry, Maria Cawley (Sanofi Genzyme) will present on 'Medical Affairs-A Rewarding Career for Pharmacists' on Thursday 19th September 2019 at 7.30pm. 

For further information see the event flyer PIER Career Webinar on Medical Affairs_19th Sept 2019. 

Email education@pier.ie to register. 

PIER in collaboration with EIPG & UCC School of Pharmacy is delighted to organise the following webinar 'The Development & Regulatory Approval of Orphan Medicines' on Tues 15th Oct 2019 at 4pm. 
 
Overview of Webinar
40 years ago, rare diseases and the development of medicines to treat them were not being addressed. Investment, research and development focussed on diseases where populations were large and the likely return on investment was favourable. Today, orphan medicines are rising stars. Some of the world’s best-selling medicines are for the treatment of orphan diseases. The potential return on investment is favourable and large pharma companies have grown their own and acquired rare disease companies. There are also hundreds of start-ups, blooming across the USA and Europe attracting funding and investment. This webinar will describe how legislative changes incentivised research and development in rare diseases, the pathways and procedures to develop and approve new orphan medicines and where to find trusted information. The webinar will cover the development and regulatory approval of orphan medicines in the European Union.
 
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:
  1. Define what is meant by an orphan disease
  2. Define what is meant by an orphan medicine
  3. Understand the incentives available to develop new orphan medicines
  4. Appreciate the special needs for the development of orphan medicines for children
  5. Consider the importance of re-purposing older medicines for the treatment of orphan diseases
  6. Consider formulation and supply problems specific to some orphan medicines
  7. Understand the lifecycle of an orphan medicine, including applying for orphan designation, applying for a Marketing Authorisation application for an orphan medicine, and postauthorisation activities
  8. Find trusted information on orphan diseases and medicines
About the Speaker
John Watson BSc MBA MTOPRA has worked for four SME biotechnology companies and several large pharma companies. He currently works for Zogenix International Ltd as Head of Regulatory Affairs Europe. John has vast experience in the strategy, preparation, submission, negotiation of approval and maintenance of medicines regulated using the EU centralised procedure including twenty Marketing Authorisations. He has planned and managed the development and submission of eight orphan medicine applications, and many CHMP and national scientific advice procedures.
 
 
To Join the Webinar
Please register for the event by filling out the form in the attached flyer EIPG PIER Orphan Medicines Webinar_15th Oct 2019. 
Further instructions will then be sent by e-mail.
 

PIER members are invited to a site visit at Alexion’s biologics manufacturing site in College Park, Blanchardstown (Eircode D15 R925) on Friday 13th September 2019 from 1.00-4.00pm.

Visitors will have the opportunity to visit different areas of the site including:

  • Quality Control Centre of Excellence
  • Global Packaging and Labelling facility
  • Window tour of the newly constructed Bulk Drug Substance facility.

For further information, see Alexion site visit flyer_13th Sept 2019. 

Numbers are limited so places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Email education@pier.ie to register before Monday 9th September 2019.

Title: 'The Microbiome and Stress' – Related Psychiatric Disorders - A prescription for therapeutic  targeting of the gut/brain axis

Overview of Webinar

The gut microbiome can signal along the gut-brain axis to influence many fundamental aspects of brain function and behaviour of relevance to Psychiatry. This includes depression, anxiety and pain as well as host stress physiology. Many of the behaviours influenced by the gut microbiota rely on intact serotonergic neurotransmission and serotonin is a key neurotransmitter at both terminals of this bidirectional communication network. Moreover, many commonly used drugs in Psychiatry may exert effects on the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract. Research efforts continue to identify the precise mechanisms underpinning these effects and possible routes of communication include the vagus nerve, the neuroendocrine system and immune factors. There is now an increasing focus on microbial regulation of tryptophan metabolism and the serotonergic system arising from a number of key observations taken from a variety of strategies used to parse the role of microbiota in brain function. Psychiatric disorders, including depression, are also now linked to compositional alterations in the gut microbiome associated with prominent symptomatic features. These translational insights will be critical as we move promising preclinical research towards mechanisms and clinical interventions such as psychobiotics to confer mental health benefits.

About the Speaker

Dr Gerard Clarke is a lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science and a faculty investigator in APC Microbiome Ireland. Gerard graduated with a B.Sc (Hons) in Chemistry from NUI, Galway followed by a M.Sc in Neuropharmacology from the same institution. He subsequently received a Ph.D (Department of Psychiatry) from University College Cork (UCC). Gerard was a visiting scientist in the University of Mississippi Medical Centre in Jackson prior to working for a number of pharmaceutical companies in both Ireland and Australia, including Wyeth, Pfizer and 3M. His research interests include translational biomarkers of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders, the impact of the gut microbiome on brain and behaviour across the life span and microbial regulation of tryptophan metabolism. His research has been recognised internationally by travel awards from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) as well as a prestigious career development award from the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS) and a NARSAD award from the Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation. He is a co-author of over 120 peer-reviewed papers (h-index = 49), 5 book chapters and has recently edited a book titled ‘The Gut Microbiome and Behaviour’

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

  1. Define the impact of the gut microbiome on brain function and behaviour;
  2. Understand the possible routes of communication between the gut and the brain;
  3. Identify the options for therapeutic targeting of the gut microbiome.

To Join the Webinar

Please register for the event by filling out the form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvBx8pq07TaXAMH0d9QYrrAXX-_R1ANqbT5h5zxqSnYysXOQ/viewform. Further instructions will then be sent by e-mail.

See flyer for the event EIPG PIER Microbiome & Stress webinar_17th June 2019. 

Join the PIER committee for the annual BBQ in D Two, 60 Harcourt St, Dublin 2 on Thursday 27th June 2019 from 7.00pm. 

Attendance is free for PIER members. 

Dr Gerard (Ger) Clarke from the School of Psychiatry & APC University College Cork will present on 'The Microbiome and Stress' – Related Psychiatric Disorders - A prescription for therapeutic  targeting of the gut/brain axis. 

Further information will be available re registration in the near future. 

PIER is organising a career information event for pharmacists interested in making the transition to an industry role in RCSI on Wed evening 15th May 2019 from 7pm PIER Career Transition Information Evening RCSI_15th May 2019. 

The outline agenda is as follows:

18.30-19.00        Registration & Refreshments

19.00-19.10        Welcome: RCSI

19.10-19.30        Welcome & Overview of the Life Sciences Industry: PIER Committee

19.30-20.00        Creating Your Future Vision: Leonie Clarke, IMVO

20.00-20:30        Practical Advice about CVs, Interviews: Fionnuala Rahilly, RCSI Career Development Manager

20.30-21.20        Panel discussion with pharmacists who have recently transitioned into industry roles: Chaired by Leonie Clarke

21.20-21.30        Closing Remarks

21.30                  Networking (retire to local hostelry). 

To register, email piercareerevents@gmail.com or via Eventbrite. Non-PIER members welcome.

 

The support of the RCSI Career Development Manager Fionnuala Rahilly in organising this event is acknowledged. 

The first PIER CPD meeting of 2019 will take place in the Houston Lecture Theatre, RCSI on Wednesday evening 1st May 2019 from 7.00pm. The theme of the CPD meeting is 'Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs)'. The speakers include:

  • Ms Vicky McGrath (CEO Rare Diseases Ireland)
  • Dr Maura O'Donovan (Senior Medical Officer HPRA & Member Committee for Advanced Therapies (EMA))
  • Dr Ronan Desmond (Consultant Haematologist, Tallaght University Hospital).

Register before Monday 29th April 2019 via https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cpd-event-on-advanced-therapy-medicinal-products-atmps-pharmacistspharmacy-students-tickets-59794300362?aff=ebdssbdestsearch. Attendance is free for current PIER members.

If any HPAI member with an interest in the area would like to attend this meeting, they would be most welcome. 

PIER in collaboration with EIPG is delighted to organise a webinar on 3D printing on Tuesday 30th April 2019 at 4pm. Our speaker is pharmacist Dr Alice Melocci from Milan who was selected as one of the "Inspiring Fifty -Italy" , i.e. the 50 women of greatest inspiration in technology in Italy in 2018.

See flyer for further information 3D printing webinar_30th April 2019. 

 

Overview of Webinar
3D printing enables fabrication of solid objects, of almost whatever shape, starting from their digital model through the addition of successive layers of material (i.e. additive manufacturing). Currently, such a technique is widely employed in many industrial fields due to the advantages it would provide in terms of versatility (e.g. shape, dimensions, compositions of products) and reduction in time and costs associated with either production (i.e. small, personalized batches) or development (real time prototyping capability).
Within the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical areas, the interest in 3D printing is rising together with that in personalized medicine, envisaging treatments tailored to specific patient needs. Results relevant to the application of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing to these particular fields, including its prototyping ability with respect to other hot-processing techniques (injection molding), fabrication of capsular devices and 4D printing will be presented. Limitations to the use of 3D printing for pharmaceuticalproduction still need to be faced mainly in connection with starting materials, manufacturing, evaluation of quality and related regulatory aspects. Preliminary attempts to overcome these issues and employ FDM in the manufacturing of dietary supplements were performed by the startup Multiply Labs and will also be discussed in this presentation.
 
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this presentation, you will:
1. Understand the basic principles of 3D printing and related techniques, with special reference to those
employed in the manufacturing of drug products;
2. Know the applications of 3D printing in the pharmaceutical / nutraceutical field already described in the
literature;
3. Appreciate the opportunities and challenges of 3D printing by fused deposition modelling in the
manufacturing of dosage forms and delivery systems.
 
To Join the Webinar
Please register for the event by filling out the form at
Qdw/viewform.
Further instructions will then be sent by e-mail.

Continuing on with the PIER Career Focus webinars highlighting some of the careers that pharmacists hold in industry, Dr Fran Quilty (Conjura) will present on 'Entering the World of Data Analytics as a Pharmacist' on Tuesday 23rd April 2019 at 7.30pm. See event flyer for further details Entering the World of Data Analytics as a Pharmacist. 

To register, email education@pier.ie.  

  1. PIER Speed Networking Event in The Hairy Lemon on Friday 22nd March @ 7.30pm
  2. EIPG PIER Webinar on 'Recent Advances in the Management and Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias' on 27th February 2019
  3. PIER Xmas Connect Drinks on Thurs 6th Dec 2018 in The Lincoln from 7.30pm
  4. HBA 'Digital Health - The Skills of the Future' event on Thurs 22nd Nov 2018
  5. PIER Autumn CPD meeting 'Insights into Rare Diseases' & AGM on Saturday 1st Dec 2018 in Clayton, Liffey Valley, Dublin
  6. IIOP Pharmacy Practice Research Event on Thurs 29th Nov 2018 in Gresham Hotel, Dublin
  7. EIPG/PIER Webinar on ‘Data Integrity' on Tues 11th Dec 2018 @ 4pm (GMT)

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C/o School of Pharmacy,
Cavanagh Building,
University College Cork.

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