MedPharmPlast Europe elects new President and Board during its annual General Assembly

MedPharmPlast Europe (MPPE), the Brussels based EuPC sector group representing the plastics medical device and pharmaceutical packaging value chain in Europe, elected its new President and Board during the Annual General Assembly 2017 on 30 November in Brussels.

The members unanimously approved James Stern, Global Business Development Manager for Healthcare at Albis, as new MPPE President.

"I am honoured to take over this important position from my predecessor Christian Meusinger from Nemera. He served as President for the last 3½ years and on behalf of MPPE I would like to thank him for his great commitment," stated James Stern. "As new President of MPPE, I am looking forward to continuing our work in representing and highlighting the opinions and concerns of the healthcare industry as we engage together with European regulators to support pragmatic and practical implementation of either new, approved legislation or provide feedback on future proposed legislation in the healthcare space. Our primary role is to create a forum, without agenda, for engagement and communication, thereby ensuring the best possible outcome for all parties involved."

Additionally, Frank De Smedt from Toxikon joined the MPPE Board as new member. The current MPPE Board composition is therefore the following:

• James Stern – Albis (President)
• Steve Duckworth – Clariant (Vice-President)
• Nigel Talboys – Terumo BCT (Regulatory Task Force Chair)
• Nicholas Berendt – Sealed Air (Member)
• Joanne Belshaw – Borealis (Member)
• Jan de Boer – Sabic (Member)
• Christian Meusinger – Nemera (Member)
• Frank De Smedt – Toxikon (Member)

The GA was followed by the MPPE public conference to which around 35 experts from the plastics medical device and pharmaceutical packaging value chain in Europe were welcomed. The programme featured expert speakers from the European Commission, research and industry presenting the latest regulatory updates concerning the industry. The topics included updates on regulations and standards for the testing of plastics material, the SCHEER mandate for the guidelines on phthalates, nanomaterial definition, the interface between EU Chemicals Legislation and the new Medical Device Regulation, an update on Titanium Dioxide, and Horizon 2020 funding opportunities for polymer research on medical devices. The event was accompanied by interesting debates and networking sessions.

The next MPPE Conference 2018 will be organised on 5 July, place to be be confirmed soon.

For more information on MPPE, its activities and events, please contact Eva Schneider, Communications Officer, at [email protected].