Shaping the Future of Injectable Medicine Inspection
The 26th annual PDA Visual Inspection Forum (VIF) 2025 is set to be a pivotal event for professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on the critical and evolving field of visual inspection (VI) for injectable medicines.
This year's forum will be held in Raleigh, North Carolina, offering a comprehensive experience beyond traditional presentations, including hands-on training and opportunities for one-on-one engagement with industry experts.
The PDA VIF 2025 will address the rapid regulatory and compendial environment changes, including new FDA guidance, USP updates and EU GMP Annex 1: Manufacture of Sterile Medicinal Products revisions. Attendees will gain insights into the latest advancements in automated visual inspection, which is becoming increasingly prominent in the industry with AI. The forum will also cover manual inspection, emphasizing its continued importance in monitoring and controlling product quality.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend the Automated Visual Inspection (AVI) Training Course before the forum. This course will cover applying regulatory requirements to the automated environment, evaluation of validation strategies and assessment of AVI equipment performance. Following the forum, the Manual Visual Inspection Training Course will delve into global regulatory requirements, patient risk associated with visible particles and the implementation of compliant inspection processes.
The forum will feature a variety of sessions, including expert presentations, case studies and academic paper reviews. Poster sessions will showcase innovative research, while the exhibitor showcase will highlight industry-leading companies' latest technologies and solutions. These sessions are designed to provide attendees with a multi-faceted learning experience, enhancing their understanding of visual inspection practices and technologies.
By attending both the forum and the training courses, participants will gain comprehensive lifecycle knowledge, risk management expertise and validation skills for both manual and automated visual inspection. They will also develop networking contacts to adapt to industry shifts and gain immediate application of knowledge through hands-on activities.
The PDA VIF 2025 promises to be an unparalleled opportunity for professionals to learn, network and grow. It will equip them with the tools and knowledge needed to ensure the highest quality standards for injectable medicines inspection. Registration is now open for the forum and training courses, and attendees are encouraged to secure their spots to take the next step in their professional journey.
For more information and to register, visit the PDA Visual Inspection Forum 2025 website.
About the Authors
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Rick Watson
Watson, a Rutgers graduate in Chemical Engineering, has 28 years of experience in process design and modeling. A Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he has spent 20 years at Merck optimizing visual inspection for parenteral products. He now leads global strategy and process support for visual inspection and glass breakage management across Merck’s manufacturing sites. -
Romain Veillon
Romain Veillon is the Director and Platform Lead for Visual Inspection at GSK, where he is responsible for defining global policies for visual inspection and leak detection. In his role, Romain oversees the development of new projects, including URS creation, validation strategy, AI infrastructure design and the development of new assets. Over the past three years, he has led the defect kit manufacturing team, and for more than 15 years, he has focused on the design and installation of automated inspection machines across six sites.
An expert in deep learning applications for visual inspection, Romain is recognized as a GSK Fellow in this field. He is also a frequent speaker at PDA and A3P events and has co-chaired the PDA Visual Inspection Forum in the U.S. and Europe since 2018. Lastly, Romain holds a PharmD in Industrial Pharmacy from Lyon, France.