Pharmapack Europe Awards Winners 2024

Pharmapack Europe (#PharmapackEU) announces the winners of the prestigious 2024 Pharmapack Awards spanning four categories across two dedicated awards.

The Health Product Awards are open to the entire pharma industry – with winners in ‘eco-design’ and ‘patient-centric design’ – while the Exhibitor Awards celebrate excellence ‘packaging’ and ‘start-up’ innovation. So high was the standard in the packaging innovation and eco-design categories that the judges also bestowed a Highly Commended for two second placed entries.

A new injection moulding technology that uses pulp instead of plastics and a dispenser that revolutionizes the way medications are delivered intra-nasally were both recognised for their innovative approach to product development at the prestigious Pharmapack Awards ceremony. Two awards were also bestowed, one for a system that affords quick and easy administration of combinations of lyophilised injectable drugs, and the second for a mono material, recyclable stick for pharmaceutical products.

Finally, a needleless vial and cap system, and a dispenser that offers more precise dispensing were highly commended for their innovations.

In the Packaging Innovation section of the Exhibitor Innovation Category, Nissha Europe was selected as the winner for the development of a Pulp-Injection Autoinjector Component - a new injection moulding technology that uses pulp instead of plastics.

Pulp-Injection is suitable for device components as well as secondary packaging. It mainly utilises pulp and starch, which results in a significant reduction in plastic use. In addition, components made in this way can be recycled within a standard paper recycling system. Yet, thanks to its rigidity, Pulp-Injection can achieve the complex design and high dimensional accuracy.

Such was the high standard of this year’s entries for this section of the Awards that the judges Highly Commended CORADIN for its GREENIS dispenser. As well as being designed to aid the accurate dispensing of serums and creams it is also made from 75% post-consumer recycled plastic.

The Start-Up Innovation Award went to Capa Valve Ltd for a system that allows the compartmentalisation of a standard syringe into a dual-chamber device. The Capa Valve involves the installation of two small parts within existing standard syringes suitable for prefilled applications.

Currently, there are a few companies offering dual chamber syringes for either sequential delivery liquids or premixing of a diluent and lyophilised drug – largely due to their cost and perceived complexity.  However, the key feature of the Capa Valve system is that it can be produced at a comparatively low cost for any standard size syringe utilising known fill/finish technology to provide a range of functionality.

The Patient-Centric Design award was taken by Dr. Ferrer Biopharma, the company impressed the judges with its GentleMist Technology (GMT). This cutting-edge drug delivery device revolutionizes the way medications are delivered intra-nasally, offering enhanced comfort, targeted drug delivery and therapeutic benefits. Traditional nozzles often generate discomfort and pain due to the pressure exerted during administration, thus hindering patient compliance and adversely affecting the overall treatment experience. GMT addresses this challenge by utilizing advanced fluid dynamics principles and engineering expertise focusing on a more gentle and effective nasal spray nozzle.

In the Eco-Design section, the clear winner was Rotor Print for its development of a recyclable stick suitable for a wide range of current pharmaceutical products and applications.

Most conventional sticks are composed of three, four or even five layers of different materials, typically combinations of polyester, aluminum, paper and polyethylene. This approach means these structures cannot be recycled as it is impossible to separate the different layers. Rotor Print solved this problem by creating a new stick comprising three layers of the same material, making it completely recyclable. In addition, this new design can be used in the same processes as current, non-recyclable sticks, meaning laboratories can make a beneficial switch without any large investment in new machinery.

This is, in fact, the second year in a row that Rotor Print has seen its innovative approach to pharma packaging rewarded. In 2023 it received an Award for developing a high grade 100% PET blister that provides an equal barrier to the traditional aluminum lid or PVC.

The judges also highly commended Klin-Loc Medical for its Needless Medical Vial – the only vial and cap system that is can be packaged during the Fill/Finish process and delivered as a completely needleless package. Its patented composition features a medical grade polymer threaded nipple affixed to an elastomer septum. It only requires a flip of the Flip-Off cap and a twist of the Luer-Lock (threaded) syringe to gain access to the contents.

Commenting on the innovation displayed in this year’s Pharmapack Europe Awards, Tara Dougal, Content Director - Pharma at Informa, added: “What 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 centre of the development process. I congratulate all our winners on their commitment and contributions to the industry.”