The CPHI Pharma Awards finalists have been announced for 2026, with companies such as Eli Lilly, Lonza and Bristol Myers Squibb included in the lineup.
The awards recognise "outstanding achievements" by companies and individuals working to advance global healthcare.
The 2026 shortlist celebrates 15 categories, highlighting individuals and companies in drug development, digital transformation, supply chain, manufacturing, sustainability, partnerships and leadership.
Tara Dougal, CPHI Event Director, Informa Markets, said: “We’ve been incredibly impressed by the quality, originality, and ambition of this year’s submissions."
Across every category, the finalists are setting new standards across the board.
"The CPHI Pharma Awards are a vital platform to spotlight the progress shaping the future of our industry and we’re looking forward to celebrating these achievements and announcing the winners on the opening day of CPHI Milan.”
The winners will be revealed during a networking reception on October 6th — the opening day of CPHI Milan, which runs from October 6-8.
Finalists by category
The full list of finalists by category is available below:
API Development and Innovation
- MODAG: Combined neurodegeneration platform involving PD DETECT and Emrusolmin
- Lonza: GlycoConnect dual-payload antibody-drug conjugate technology
- Cambrex: Automated liquid-phase peptide synthesis platform
- FUJIFILM Biotechnologies: ShunzymeX
Digital Transformation
- 4G Clinical: Digital Clinical Supply Chain Control for Complex Trials
- Evonik Industries: Self-driving labs
- ForgeStop: ForgeStop Connected Products Platform — NFC Authentication for Pharmaceutical Supply Chains
- Adalvo: Intelligence at Scale: How Adalvo Built an Enterprise-Grade Digital Transformation Engine at the Heart of a Specialist B2B Pharma Business
- Peerox: MADDOX: AI-Driven Knowledge & Troubleshooting Layer Empowering Shopfloor Operators in Pharma Packaging
- Catalent: Qai Deviation Manager: AI-Enabled Digital Quality Transformation at Enterprise Scale
Innovation in Drug Delivery, Devices and Packaging
- NVV Pharma: ClearliQ Earwax: A Biomintetic Cerumenolytic Medical Device for Safe Self-Care of Earwax Impaction
- Eco-Inject: Eco-inject Sustainable Autoinjector
- LTS-Lohmann Therapie-System: LTS AccuTip Microneedle Array Patch Platform
- Palladio Group: Smart Pill Pocket
- ForgeStop:× EM Microelectronic - Secure Connected Packaging for Pharmaceutical Track-and-Trace and Authentication
Excellence with Purpose
-
Kepler Healthcare: Welcome Girl - A lifelong Noble Initiative by Kepler Healthcare
- Strides Pharma Science: Learn While You Earn programme
- Medical & Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency of Uzbekistan: Making medicines affordable in Uzbekistan: Reference Pricing, Digital Monitoring and Public Access
- Urtica: Named patient import when every dose matters
- Accord Healthcare: Hetronifly (Serplulimab): Expanding Equitable Access to Immunotherapy Through Purpose Driven Collaboration
Finished Formulation
- Cor.Con International: Epilamba Junior
- Santa Farma: Innovative Mirabegron Modified-Release Formulation Platform for First-Generic Overactive Bladder Therapies
- SeraNovo: NanoGlass, a formulation platform for oral BCS IV and bRo5 drugs
- Ashland: Permexa sodium caprate
Innovation Catalyst
- IMA SpA: ASSEMBLA – A Scalable, Device Centric Assembly Platform Enabling End to End Medical Device Industrialisation
- FUJIFILMBiotechnologies: MaruX
- Prolific Machines: Optogenetic Platform Achieves Record-Breaking 21 g/L Antibody Titer
- StablePharma: StablevaX: Catalysing an Ecosystem of Thermostable Medicines
- Aizon: Operational foundation for GMP AI
- Touchlight: Cell-free Doggybone DNA (dbDNA) platform
- VeriSIM Life: VeriSIM Life
Manufacturing Excellence
- Anemocyte: AMCAP enzymatic mRNA manufacturing technology: Manufacturing technology
- IMA SpA’s DOMINA: DOMINA - Master of tabletting platform
- Lyo Innovation: LyoinMSTrack Mass Spectrometry
- Bespak Bio: Next-Generation Gene Therapy Manufacturing Technology
- Touchlight: World's First GMP-Licensed Cell-Free DNA Facility
Supply Chain Excellence
-
Cryoport Systems: Defining Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Excellence Through ISO 21973 Certification
- Adalvo: From Reactive to Resilient: How Adalvo Rebuilt Supply Chain Planning as a Strategic Advantage
- LSPedia: LSPedia OneScan
- Occam Systems: The Data-Driven Strategic Supply Chain Advantage
- Almac Group: Adapt platform: Zero Margin for Error: Supply Chain Excellence in Ultra-Rare Gene Therapy with Almac Adapt
Sustainable Pharma Excellence
- Nordic Bioproducts Group: AaltoCell: Transforming Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Through Sustainable High-Performance MCC
- Bloomage Biotechnology: Bloomsac Sodium Chondroitin Sulfate
- SCHOTT Pharma: Circular packaging – Delivery of pharmaceutical vials in circular packaging
- Celtic Renewables: Leading the green chemical revolution
- SK Pharmteco: Transforming Solvent Sustainability in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing through a Data-Driven Framework and Circular Acetonitrile Recovery
- Sunresin New Materials: Uniform Functionalized Polymer Resin Technology: Redefining the Concept of Sustainability in Peptide Manufacturing
- Touchlight: World's First GMP-Licensed Cell-Free DNA Facility: Repurposed Infrastructure and Smaller Manufacturing Footprint
Sustainable Transformation Partnership
- Sartorius: From Suppliers to End Users: Creating a Cross-Industry Partnership for Circular Bioprocessing
- AstraZeneca: Further Together: Partnering for Systemic Change
- Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative: Lead with Purpose, Decarbonize Faster - The PSCI Decarbonization Summit
- Schneider Electric: Pharma collaboration driving supply chain decarbonization
True Partnership Excellence
- CMAC: A world-leading manufacturing research consortium spanning academic and industry partners
- MedPharm: Advancing First-in-Disease Topical Therapies Through Strategic Partnership: MedPharm and Palvella’s Co-Development of QTORIN Rapamycin from Concept to Commercial Readiness
- Enzene: From At‑Risk to Accelerated: How Enzene Redefines Biologics Development
- Adalvo: More Than a Dossier: How Adalvo Builds True Partnerships on Shared Risk, Shared Reward, and Shared Mission
- Santa Farma: Transforming of Complex Local Generics into Global Patient Access
- Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services: Zoliflodacin End-to-End Multiparty Partnership
Start-up Initiative
- SolasCure: Aurase Wound Gel
- NVV Pharma: ClearliQ: How a Dutch SME Disrupted Decades-Old Earwax Care with Biosolvent Science
- Eco-Inject: Eco-Inject Sustainable Autoinjector
- Lambda Biologics: ODISEI - The Organoid-based Discovery Platform for Innovative Screening, Evaluation, and Identification
- Primogene: Primogene – Cell-Free Enzymatic Biomanufacturing Platform
- RAWGA: VC-H1(Plant-based collagen alternative)
Future Leader
- Dr Steven Nicholson of Crystec
- Jakub Knurek of Mabion
- Milena Gonakova of Pfizer CentreOne
- Dr Sean McMahon of Ashland
- Dr Pauline van der Wijst-Janssen of DFE Pharma.=
Woman of the Year
- Emma Charles of Bristol Myers Squibb
- Jennifer Gattari of Pfizer CentreOne
- Lorna Murtagh of Pfizer CentreOne
- Maja Pedersen of FUJIFILM Biotechnologies
- Martina Feitzinger of Adalvo
- Zhao Yan of Bloomage Biotechnology
CEO of the Year
- Anil Okay of Adalvo
- Joerg Ahlgrimm of SK pharmteco
- Julia Tsetis of Tsetis Group
- Prashant Nagre of Fermenta Biotech
- Shreehas Tambe of Biocon
- Swapn Malpani of Cipla
- Michael Kocher of Xellia Pharmaceuticals
- Zhao Yan of Bloomage Biotechnology
This year’s awards are sponsored by IQVIA, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Taiwan Pharmaceutical Alliance.
Those interested in the event can still register to visit here.
