We've just published, in print and online, our latest cover story: “The Good Fight: The Plight of Pharma’s Middle Managers.” It’s a rich, timely topic, given the fact that much of the finger pointing regarding the industry's problems is aimed at mid-level professionals. Or they are implicitly faulted, as upper management absolves itself of responsibility.

Last week, FDA released its anticipated final guidance, “Standards for Securing the Drug Supply Chain—Standardized Numerical Identification for Prescription Drug Packages.” The aim of the guidance is to lend support to industry efforts to establish end-to-end supply chain security and realize the benefits of the myriad track and trace technologies currently available. This guidance is just a start, the Agency indicates.

This year's Interphex conference and exposition just wound down yesterday in New York City.  There had been concerns about show traffic, given the consolidation waves within the industry and their impact on travel budgets, plus the fact that the show started on St. Patrick's Day, infamous for its gridlock. 
It would be difficult to summarize the threads connecting the varied types of equipment and software displayed at the show, but if one were to distill them to a few main themes they would be: