Recognizing Pharma Innovation

The CPhI Innovation Awards, this year rebranded as the CPhI Pharma Awards, took place last week at CPhI Worldwide in Madrid, and put into prominence some key scientific advances of exhibitors at CPhI. The awards were designed to encourage entries in diverse areas, including formulation development, drug delivery, chemical manufacturing of APIs and intermediates, and biomanufacturing.

The Best Pharma Innovation award featured gold, silver, and bronze winners from five shortlisted entries. Earning the gold and top prize was Haemopharm for its needleless injection vial (NIV), a needle-free vial closure system that can be used on any product supplied in a glass or plastic vial, whether in a liquid, gel, or powder form. Merck Millipore took the silver for using bimodal silica as a drug-delivery platform. Merck Millipore’s innovation takes advantage of the two-fold pore structure of silica, which offers a large surface area and good transport properties for drug delivery. The bronze went to Bioclin for its Multi-Oral Remin remineralization gel, applied in the oral cavity to treat and prevent bleeding gums and tooth erosion. The other two finalists included Linhardt’s Multiflex collapsible tube technology, designed to improve on traditional laminate tubes, and YaoPharma’s alprostadil, formulated as a lyophilized emulsion for injection.

In addition to recognizing technical advances in drug development and manufacturing, the CPhI Pharma Awards also recognized advances in sustainability. This year’s award included an award for Best Sustainable Packaging, a new award this year that was added to recognize a company for a specific material, machine, or process that facilitated sustainable packaging. The finalists for this award included Top Clean Packaging Group’s Unicadose plastic vials, which provide an alternative to glass single-dose vials; August Faller’s Eco Save Pack, a carton tray with product-adapted inlays for different market demands; and MeadWestvaco Healthcare’s Shellpak Renew. The award went to MeadWestvaco Healthcare for its adherence-enhancing drug packaging, which consists of a recyclable tear-resistant outer carton and an easy-slide blister with a calendar integrated to aid patients in tracking their medication. In another award recognizing sustainability, Solvias won Best Sustainable Stand Design.

The diversity of advances represented by the CPhI Pharma Awards underscores the value of and opportunity for innovation in drug development and manufacturing. There is no doubt that the complexity of molecules, challenges in drug delivery, and evolving patient and market demands will continue to foster creative scientific solutions.