CPhI
The CPhI Pharma Awards 2013 winners were announced live at the awards ceremony — day one at CPhI Worldwide. Honouring outstanding developments from some key industry players, the awards highlighted ever-advancing market innovations, fundamental to driving growth throughout global pharma.
This year, the event, which is the foremost opportunity to recognise outstanding achievement amongst industry peers and pharma leaders, had three categories, designed to recognise innovation in formulation, process development and packaging. A record-breaking 44 entries were received, 13 for formulation, 18 for process development and 13 for packaging, a total of nine finalists were chosen, three in each of the categories:
Best Innovation in Process Development
The 2013 winner for Best Innovation in Process Development was deservingly won by API Corporation, acknowledging the company’s leading catalytic system for C-H activation. Many drug substances’ pharmaceutical activity is exerted by a structural motif called a biaryl unit. Current synthesis, however, requires large amounts of hazardous chemicals. API’s technology conceptually addresses this issue as a catalytic system of C-H activation that both drives down costs and provides an environmentally friendly process. Currently, this technology has been applied to the commercial synthesis of angiotensin II receptor blockers.
Best Innovation in Formulation
The CPhI Pharma Award for Best Innovation in Formulation was received with overwhelming reception as Camurus was announced as this year’s winner. Camurus was acknowledged for its fluid injection depot that delivers therapeutic doses over extended periods — adjustable from days to months — from a single injection. Setting the depot aside from other parenteral technologies of its kind, this fluid injection depot is comprised of a lipid-based liquid solution that transforms into a liquid crystal gel matrix in-situ on contact with minute quantities of aqueous fluid at the site of injection. The drug becomes effectively encapsulated and is released in a controlled manner. This provides key benefits compared with other associated market products by reducing the typical complex manufacturing, reconstitution before administration, refrigerated storage or limited compatibility with biomolecules — clearly highlighting these benefits, the technology has already been licensed to drug giant Novartis.
Best Innovation in Packaging
Of the three innovative Packaging finalists, E-Pharma Trento was the winner of the evening, with its strengthened blister pack to package solid pharmaceutical and nutraceutical forms, providing especial use for fragile tablets. Made of three layers (Al - PVC - PA/Al/PVC) that make the capsule packaging more rigid, it allows the user to push-through tablets without damaging them. The award will help the company "push the product," said Silvia Boschetti R&D Manager at E-Pharma Trento. She continued: “E-Pharma Trento’s packaging technology offers an alternative that addresses the disadvantages of existing fragile tablet packaging."
Chris Kilbee, Group Director Pharma at UBM Live, extended his congratulations to all the finalists and the evening’s winners and commented: “Our Pharma Awards are an exceptional platform, providing the opportunity to highlight innovations within the industry that are set to drive the pharmaceutical marketplace. As an example, one of our winning technologies has already received significant interest by big pharma, so it is with delight that we are able to showcase such leading innovations. We are already looking forward to next year’s event where we hope to see yet more industry driving award entries."
CPhI, www.cphi.com.