CPHI Barcelona 2023 Pharma Awards: and the winners are...

The much anticipated Pharma Awards 2023 were held at CPHI Barcelona this week at the Fira Barcelona. 

The Pharma Awards recognise the pharma industry's leaders in a broad range of fields, aiming to celebrate those who have worked to find innovative, effective, and impactful solutions and programmes that have made a meaningful difference to the pharma industry, and will inspire further developments. 

The categories aim to cover the different fields represented at CPHI Barcelona, covering:
API Development & Innovation, Regulatory & Compliance, CEO of the Year, to some new categories, such the Start-Up Initiative. 

We want to thank all of our entrants to this year’s awards, of which there were nearly 200, we’ve had many impressive proposals as you can see by our shortlist. 

The winners reflect the calibre of work being done in each area and how the industry is continually pushing for progress. 

The winners are as follows: 

API Development
Snapdragon Chemistry, a Cambrex company - Axial Chirality in the Sotorasib Drug Substance 

Snapdragon Chemistry specialises in API batch and continuous flow process development, utilising state-of-the-art automation technology and proprietary equipment to solve complex process and analytical development challenges. 

See what Snapdragon Chemistry had to say about their award here. 

Regulatory & Compliance 
Lambda Therapeutic Research Ltd. - Advanced Software Solutions and EDC Platform

Lambda provides comprehensive end-to-end clinical research services to the global innovator, biotech, and generic pharmaceutical industries. With a commitment to excellence, our experienced team of 1500+ professionals utilises cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions to provide a full spectrum of clinical trial solutions spanning from preclinical research to post-marketing studies.

Hear from the Founder of Lambda Therapeutic Research on the win here. 

Drug Delivery & Device Innovation    
Medicsen - Sonophoresis Smartpatch 

Medicsen was founded to improve quality of life with chronic diseases. They aim to deliver the latest technological advances to the medical world in order to reduce pain and uncertainty. 

The first needle-free and wearable drug delivery device, a comfortable device measuring 4x2x1cm. The device works using harmless waves that increase the size of natural skin pores, allowing macromolecules up to 200KDa to enter through skin (heparin, insulin...). It is painless and safe (the pores close when device stops), making it more comfortable and usable for the patient. 

See more about the evolution of the smartpatch technology in this interview. 

Manufacturing Excellence    
Luminary Therapeutics, Inc. - Gamma 2.0 +

The Gamma 2.0+ platform decreases dosing delays while improving manufacturing economies of scale. It is designed to cost effectively deliver large, complex DNA cargo. Combined with the cloaking technology it evades T and NK cell clearance.

Packaging & Machinery    
GASPOROX AB - AutoMAP Pharma

The GASPOROX AutoMAP™ Pharma solution is a gas measurement system for detecting high or low concentrations of O₂ in modified atmosphere packaging. The module is a non-destructive analyser designed for instant in-line quality inspection of the headspace for containers with flexible film packaged in modified atmosphere as many large volume parenterals (LVP) and small volume parenterals (SVP).

Hear from the GASPOROX CEO on their solution here.

Supply Chain Excellence    
Catalent - Case Management Services for Cell & Gene Therapies

The new Case Management Service, has been specifically designed to address the unique challenges associated with the safe and timely delivery of advanced therapies to patients by providing professional supply chain oversight from program start to finish.

See the interview with Catalent regarding their win here.

Sustainability    
Schneider Electric - Energize Programme

Recognising the power of partnerships and scale in delivering climate action, ten global pharmaceutical companies collaborated to fund the creation of the Energize programme. The programme is designed to accelerate renewable energy adoption across the pharmaceutical industry, through education and functional support, enabling suppliers take action on climate change.

See the interview with Simon Gerard on the Energize programme here. 

Finished Formulation    
Lubrizol Life Science Health - Apisolex Polymer

The ApisolexTM GMP, injectable-grade excipient is a safe, polyamino acid-based polymer that enhances the solubility of BSC Class II and IV APIs. The exipient boasts a higher drug loading than other solubility-enhancing excipients, it substantially increases achievable concentration of API in water, and it's a non-toxic, non-immunogenic, biocompatible, and biodegradable alternative to PEG.

Hear more from Lubrizol about their formulation here. 

Accelerating Innovation    
REACT4LIFE - MIVO® technology

MIVO® is the only organ on chip technology that combines clinically relevant tissue size with independent millifluidic environments, where the fluid flow is fully controlled anytime. 3D cell cultures provide a more accurate model of cells behaviour and interactions, making them key for developing personalised therapies. Fluid flow is a critical factor affecting cells’ behaviour, diffusion of soluble factors and organ-organ interplay, behind many complex human diseases.

See the interview with REACT4LIFE here. 

At the Heart of Pharma    
Merck KGaA - Embracing Carers®

Embracing Carers™ is a global initiative led by Merck in collaboration with leading caregiver organisations to raise awareness of caregiver needs. The campaign is over social network, and aims to be able to give non-professional carers time back. For every 3 tweets with the hashtag #CuidaDeLosQueCuidan, Merck will provide Supercarers with the equivalent of one hour of work for a professional carer to replace a non-professional carer so that they have time off to take care of themselves. 

Read the interview to find out more about the initiative here.

Start-Up Initiative    
InSyBio - InSyBio Suite

InSyBio Suite provides Internet high-performance, user-friendly and installation free tools to biology researchers with minimum knowledge of software usage. It is based on a series of patented or in the process of getting a patent pipelines, algorithms, and tools. Using the InSyBio Suite, biology researchers can save time and money while ensuring high performance and robustness in their data analysis.

CEO of the Year 
PROCOS S.P.A. - Enrico Zodio

PROCOS S.P.A. is a wing of CBC Co. Ltd Group, specialising in the development, scale-up, and production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), advanced intermediates, and related services for the pharmaceutical industry. 
Enrico Zodio, the CEO states: 'The first step in taking a company from good to great is to get the right people on board, committed and aligned, then to set a new direction, a new vision and strategy.' 

See the full interview with Enrico Zodio here.