Winners of the 2024 Pharmapack Europe Awards are Announced

Pharmapack Europe announced the winners of the 2024 Pharmapack Awards on Jan. 24, 2024 at the Paris Expo in France. The winners comprised four categories across two dedicated awards: the Health Product Awards and the Exhibitor Awards.

The Health Product Awards are open to the pharma industry as a whole. Winners fell into the categories of “eco-design” and “patient-centric design”. The Exhibitor Awards went to excellence “packaging” and “start-up” innovation. Judges also granted Highly Commended honors to two second-place entries because of the high standards exhibited in the packaging innovation and eco-design categories.

Two of the awards were given for a new injection molding technology designed to use pulp instead of plastics and an innovative dispenser that “revolutionizes the way medications are delivered intra-nasally”, according to a Pharmapack press release. Both were both recognized for their innovative approach to product development. The other awards were bestowed for a system that affords quick and easy administration of combinations of lyophilized injectable drugs and for a mono material, recyclable stick for pharmaceutical products.

The two Highly Commended honors were given for a needleless vial and cap system and a dispenser that offers more precise dispensing.

Award categories

Exhibitor Innovation category

• Packaging Innovation winner. Nissha Europe won for developing a pulp-injection autoinjector component, a new injection molding technology that uses pulp instead of plastics. Pulp-injection, used for device components and secondary packaging, mainly uses pulp and starch, which significantly reduces plastic use. In addition, components made using this technology can be recycled within a standard paper recycling system. Due to its rigidity, pulp-injection can also be used for complex designs and high dimensional accuracy.
• Highly Commended. Coradin was honored for its GREENIS dispenser, which is designed for the accurate dispensing of serums and creams. The dispenser is made from 75% post-consumer recycled plastic.
• Start-Up Innovation winner. Capa Valve Ltd won for its system, the Capa Valve, which allows for the compartmentalization of a standard syringe into a dual-chamber device. The Capa Valve consists of the installation of two small parts within existing standard syringes that are suitable for prefilled applications. According to Pharmapack, there are currently only a few companies that offer dual-chamber syringes for either sequential delivery of liquids or premixing of a diluent and lyophilized drug; this is largely due to cost and perceived complexity of such dual-chamber syringes. The advantage of the Capa Valve system is that it can be produced at a comparatively low cost for any standard size syringe using known fill/finish technology to provide a range of functionality.

Health Product Awards category

• Patient-Centric Design winner. Dr. Ferrer Biopharma, a US-based company specializing in the development of intranasal medication therapies, won for its GentleMist Technology (GMT), an innovative drug delivery device that is expected to revolutionize the way medications are delivered intranasally. The device is designed to offer enhanced comfort, targeted drug delivery, and therapeutic benefits. Because traditional nozzles often generate discomfort and pain due to the pressure exerted during administration, patients often find it difficult to comply with their therapy, adversely affecting the overall treatment experience. GMT addresses this challenge by using advanced fluid dynamics principles and engineering expertise that focus on a more gentle and effective nasal spray nozzle.
• Eco-Design winner. Rotor Print won for its development of a recyclable stick suitable for a wide range of current pharma products and applications. The Pharmapack press release points out that most conventional sticks are composed of three, four, or even five layers of different materials, which typically come in combinations of polyester, aluminum, paper, and polyethylene. As such, these structures cannot be recycled because of the difficulty in separating the different layers. Rotor Print addressed this problem by creating a new stick comprising three same-material layers, making the stick completely recyclable. The new design can also be used in the same processes as current, non-recyclable sticks—meaning laboratories can make a beneficial switch without any significant investment in new machinery. This is Rotor Print’s second consecutive win based on its innovative approach to pharma packaging. In 2023 the company received an award for developing a high grade 100% polyethylene teraphthalate blister that provides an equal barrier to the traditional aluminum lid or polyvinyl chloride.
• Highly Commended. Klim-Loc Medical was honored for its needleless medical vial, which is the only vial-and-cap system that can be packaged during the fill/finish process and be delivered as a completely needleless package. With its patented composition, the system features a medical-grade polymer-threaded nipple affixed to an elastomer septum. The design requires a simple flip of the flip-off cap and a twist of the Luer-lock (threaded) syringe to gain access to the contents.

“What [is] so impressive about our 2024 winners is that all the entries are advancing technologies that either bring about vital improvements in greener production, or are putting the patient front and center of the development process. I congratulate all our winners on their commitment and contributions to the industry,” said Tara Dougal, content director—Pharma, Informa, in the press release.

Source: Pharmapack