CPhI Innovation Awards - the final six are chosen

In 2008 it was Dr Reddys, Pierre Fabre Medicament and Novozymes Biopolymer – but who will triumph in this year’s CPhI Innovation Awards? The six nominated finalists have been selected and the winners will be announced on 13 October during the Exhibitor Party to close the first day of CPhI Worldwide in Madrid.

The finalists will make their decisive presentations to the judges earlier that day on the Innovation Awards stand (10G16). The six nominees, with their presentation times, innovation profiles and stand numbers are:

Agenda 1 Analytical Services: Reducing animal testing and speeding up drug development (10.00)

Quasi-Vivo multi-cell biomodules offer a new way to study toxicological/physiological impact of drug products. They are unique in employing a 3D culturing matrix, flowing nutrient media and interlinked biomodules containing human cell lines.

This approach provides a physiologically relevant environment, facilitating fundamental studies and formulation option testing. Using Quasi-Vivo prior to an animal study supports dose formulation optimisation and establishment of an appropriate drug concentration. The technique is supported by a novel solubilising system (Solent), ensuring that appropriate drug concentration levels are achieved in nutrient media.

The system reduces use of a costly, scientifically questionable process - replacing it with a more controllable and relevant one – giving better information, faster and for less cost. (Stand 8NE11)

BASF SE: BASF Coating Systems (10.30)

BASF has developed coloured coating systems for instant release film-coating that are free-flowing, nearly dust-free and easy to redisperse granules. The low viscosity of the polymer Kollicoat IR results in a higher solids content in the coating solution than with other coating polymers.

BASF offers seven base colours, which can be combined to achieve wide variety in colour shades. To support formulation development software predicts base colour recipes to achieve a desired shade.

This concept combines three innovations: an innovative polymer, a new production process and the base colour concept. It gives pharma flexibility and speed in formulation development - plus a robust and fast production process, saving energy and reducing environmental pollution. (Stand 3F24)

Cambrex: Microwave chemistry – out of the lab and into production (11.00)

The Cambrex Continuous Flow Microwave (CFM) Reactor finally brings the combined benefits of continuous-flow and microwave-heating to large-scale development and commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Its unique ability to handle heterogeneous flow chemistry makes it a truly versatile manufacturing option. Increased yields, better purity, lower reagent, catalyst and solvent usage plus greater reproducibility and faster scale-up will increase productivity and lower costs. Cambrex has brought microwave chemistry out of the laboratory and into production. The Cambrex CFM Reactor is an innovative sustainable solution to the increasing cost and quality pressure on the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. (Stand 3C70)

KitoZyme sa: KiOmedine non-animal ultra-pure chitosan (11.30)

For the first time, ultra-pure chitosan is produced from a non-animal source, through a patented and fully validated cGMP process. This groundbreaking and competitive technology, called KiOmedine, has been developed by KitoZyme, a young Belgian company. KiOmedine enables the development of chitosan-based pharmaceutical and biomedical applications beyond topical use.

Thanks to a robust process and an outstanding traceability on the starting material (Agaricus bisporus white mushroom), KiOmedine ultra-pure chitosan consistently meets or exceeds monograph specifications. Tight control of molecular characteristics ensures reproducible performances in advanced drug delivery systems and gives opportunities for customised developments and innovative therapies. (Stand NB407)

Novozymes Biopharma: albufuse - half life extension through albumin fusion (12.00)

albufuse offers major clinical advantages by significantly increasing the half‐life of drugs in the bloodstream, reducing the frequency of drug administration and dosage to the patient.

Some drugs have to be administered by a nurse at home or at a clinic. By using albufuse technology to improve the drug, the number of visits are limited making the treatment more cost‐effective, an increasingly important consideration due to growing healthcare costs and accessibility to medicine.

Additionally, by reducing the dosage, the toxicity levels in the patient have been found to be lowered, offering fewer side-effects and a better quality of life. (Stand 10E36 )

Puleva Biotech Exxentia: Hereditum – Human breast milk probiotics (13.00)

Puleva Biotech Exxentia has demonstrated, for the first time, that breast milk is an important source of beneficial bacteria for infants. It is known that Lactobacillus strains naturally present in human breast milk can be transported from gut to mammarian gland in lactating women.

This led to the hypothesis that our Lactobacillus strains might compete, after oral administration, with pathogens in the breast. Indeed, women suffering from mastitis, an infection caused by Staphylococcus species, recovered significantly from an oral treatment with these probiotics strains (Jimenez et al, 2008).

Hereditum probiotics may be an alternative or complementary therapy for treating staphylococcal lactational mastitis where antibiotherapy was previously unsuccessful. (Stand 5G02)

This year’s Awards attracted a record of almost 30 entries – taking the total since the Awards’ 2004 debut to nearly 120. All shortlisted entries will be featured on www.cphi.com, www.icsexpo.com and www.bioph-online.com and on the Innovation Awards stand in Madrid. Once again, the Gold, Silver and Bronze winning innovations will be featured in Manufacturing Chemist.