RDD Europe 2011 will be the largest iteration so far of the European version of the Respiratory Drug Delivery meetings, says Richard Dalby of co-organizer RDD. Already, more than 400 people have registered for the May 3-6 meeting to be held at the Dorint Hotel Convention Center Berlin (formerly the Intercontinental).
Anyone planning to register on site should know that this year’s attendance promises to be big enough that meeting organizers RDD Online and Aptar Pharma may need to cut off registration before the meeting begins, Dalby notes: “We are nearing our maximum capacity of 450 people, so it would be a good idea to register soon to avoid disappointment.”
RDD Europe will take place at the Dorint Hotel Berlin, formerly the Intercontinental
This year’s technology exhibition includes 55 companies, up from 44 at the last RDD Europe meeting held in Lisbon in 2009, with a number of companies, including several German firms, exhibiting for the first time. The number of posters accepted has also risen significantly from 2009, from 55 to 65.
The meeting will kick off with a plenary lecture titled “Genetics and Environment: Their Influence on Rational Aerosol Drug Therapy for Asthma” by Adnan Custovic, Professor of Allergy and Head of the Respiratory Research Group at the University of Manchester. Dr. Custovic’s group is “investigating the hypothesis that the relationship between genotype and phenotype in complex diseases such as asthma and allergies may not be linear or unidirectional, but modulated by a number of environmental factors.”
The meeting proceedings, which include 24 speaker abstracts in addition to the poster abstracts, will consist of over 600 pages, divided into 2 volumes. In keeping with its sustainable approach to the conference, says Dalby, Aptar has taken the lead in making electronic versions of the proceedings available on request. As they have at previous meetings, the organizers will also collect hard copies from any attendee who prefers not to take them home, along with lanyards and badges.
The Berlin Gasometer will host a gala dinner for RDD Europe 2011
The RDD Europe coordinators have also worked with other organizations to schedule their meetings around the main conference in order to minimize both the environmental impact and cost of travel for OINDP experts who want to exchange information.
On the evening of May 4, the AAPS Inhalation and Nasal Technology Focus Group (INTFG) will hold a meeting titled “Dramatically Improving Adherence in Respiratory Medicine – The Next Breakthrough in Therapy.” The agenda for the INTFG meeting features talks by Garth Sutherland of Nexus6 and by John N. Pritchard of Philips Respironics Drug Delivery.
In addition, the International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium on Regulation & Science (IPAC-RS) will hold its first satellite conference in conjunction with RDD. The IPAC-RS conference on the afternoon of Friday, May 6 will cover “Perspectives on Efficient Data Analysis (EDA) Methods and Abbreviated Impactor Measurements (AIM) as Quality Assessment Tools.” Dr. Dalby points out that anyone wishing to attend should be aware that the satellite conference requires a separate registration and fee (see details).
The organizers have also worked with companies that offer products and services related to OINDPs to develop a series of interactive workshops that will be held on the afternoon of the first full day of the meeting. Meeting participants can opt to attend up to four of the twelve available workshops, which, Dalby says, have been selected in response to participant requests for information on various topics.
As has been typical of both the American and European versions of the RDD meetings, the Berlin conference will offer numerous opportunities for networking, including a cocktail reception on the evening of May 3rd, time for circulating through the poster and technology exhibitions, and a gala dinner at the Berlin Gasometer.
