CPHI Excellence in Pharma Award Winners 2022

CPHI Frankfurt unveiled the winners of the prestigious 2022 CPHI Pharma Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements from the global pharma industry, across 10 specialist categories.

This year’s winners are:

• CEO of the Year – Manni Kantipudi, Aragen
• API Development – Tokuyama Corporation
• Finished Formulation – Accord Healthcare
• Manufacturing Technology and Equipment – Just-Evotec Biologics
• Pharmaceutical Packaging & Drug Delivery – Evonik
• Supply Chain, Logistics, and Distribution – HCL Technologies
• Regulatory Procedures and Compliance- Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients
• Digital Innovation – ATMPS
• Sustainability – Indaver
• Innovation in Response to COVID-19 – Moderna

Manni Kantipudi, CEO of Aragen was chosen by the judges as the clear winner of CEO of the Year, one of the most coveted prizes, for delivering outstanding performance with sustained growth and robust strategies. The company has undergone a number of impressive facility improvements, investment rounds and double-digit growth.

Moderna’s development of its SPIKEVAX mRNA-based vaccine received the special award for Innovation in Response to COVID-19 category. The messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is based on more than a decade of research and, having received emergency authorization in 70 countries, more than 807 million doses of the vaccine were shipped globally in 2021.

In the API Development category, the Tokuyama Corporation was chosen for its novel synthesis of sodium dependent glucose co-transporters (SGLT2), used in the treatment of diabetes. Previous synthetic methods suffer from need for cryogenic conditions (-78oC), which significantly restricted the supply of this important class of drugs. The Tokuyama Corporation addressed this challenge by developing a new synthetic method which can be undertaken under very mild conditions (40C).

Accord Healthcare was selected as the winner in the Finished Formulation category for the development of its Sixmo, a subcutaneous buprenorphine (BPN) implant, the first of its kind, for the treatment of opioid dependence.

In the Manufacturing Technology and Equipment category, the Just-Evotec Biologics entry was awarded the top prize for its innovative JPOD. This is a small-footprint, highly automated cGMP manufacturing facility that leverages single-use systems and reconfigurable cleanroom pods for maximum flexibility. J.POD can operate clinical or commercial processes in semi- or fully continuous mode with 500-1000L bioreactors.

Evonik is the Pharmaceutical Packaging & Drug Delivery award winner, for its polymeric nucleic acid delivery systems. Developed in conjunction with Stanford University these comprise a new class of polymers that complement existing lipid nanoparticle-based delivery technologies. The system allows a library of CARTs (charge-altering releasable transporters) to be developed that target different organs, have different bioactivities, and can accommodate different types of biomolecules.

In the Supply Chain, Logistics and Distribution category HCL Technologies was bestowed the award for its Intelligent Asset Tracking Management (IATM) Consignment Inventory Management system for medical devices, consumables, surgical items and kits. This provides E2E visibility with logs and timestamps from the consignor’s manufacturing facility through to the point of care using First Expired First Out (FEFO) inventory methodology. Working in real-time means it improves auditing and inventory reconciliation as well as reducing risk of using an expired product for a medical procedure.

Lonza Capsules and Health Ingredients was judged to be the winner in the Regulatory Procedures and Compliance category for its Capsugel titanium dioxide (TiO2)-free white gelatin capsule. This novel opacifying technology leverages the functionality of crystalized salts to provide the same whiteness and masking as capsules containing TiO2. The new capsule will fulfil the evolving demand of its customers to meet new titanium dioxide-free requirements for foods in the European Union.

Haatali, the world’s first and only blockchain-based vein-to-vein tracking platform for advanced therapies, enabled ATMPS to win the Digital Innovation category. This patented technology provides a much-needed platform for the tracking and real-world delivery of labor-intensive cell and gene therapies (which currently often use paper records) to be scaled-up, reducing healthcare burdens and increasing patients access to therapies. The interoperable systems will be transformative for the delivery of the dozens of new therapy approvals expected in the next few years.

In the Sustainability category, Indaver was the clear winner for its Inda-MP—a specialized facility for the recovery of precious metals from liquid waste streams. Homogeneous precious metal catalysts are increasingly used in API and fine chemical production and typically end up in liquid waste streams, so efficient recovery is paramount to reducing environmental impact. Inda-MP fulfils this need by offering a circular, one-stop solution, from shipment of the liquid waste until delivery of the refined precious metals.

“On behalf of CPHI, I’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners,” said Tara Dougal, content director, pharma, Informa Markets. “The 2022 awards recognize a truly diverse, innovative array of entries which showcase the very best of our industry. I’d also like to thank everyone who submitted an entry this year, all members of our jury for their time and expertise in assessing the 180+ entries received, and everyone who joined us to celebrate in Frankfurt.”