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Award winners by category
DELIVERY AND DEVICE INNOVATION
SHL Medical for Elexy™ reusable electromechanical autoinjector
ECO-DESIGN WINNER
Huhtamaki for Omnilock™ Ultra PAPER
PACKAGING INNOVATION WINNER
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company for new OXYCAPT Multilayer Plastic Vial
PATIENT-CENTRIC DESIGN WINNER
UCB Pharma for Bimzelx 160mg 2ml autoinjectors product for US
START-UP INITIATION WINNER
Active Label for non-electric smart labels
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Asmita Khanolkar – SMC Ltd
Pharmapack Europe (#PharmapackEU) proudly announces the winners of its newly reformatted Pharmapack Awards, recognizing excellence in six key categories. This year’s awards take a fresh approach, celebrating both commercialized products and groundbreaking innovations that are shaping the future of pharmaceutical packaging. For the first time, the awards were open to all participants, fostering greater inclusivity and innovation.
Among the winners are many remarkable advancements, including an autoinjector that eliminates the need for manual needle attachment, a fully recyclable and heat-sealable ultra-high barrier paper, and a multi-layered vial designed for gene therapy product storage. The innovations extend further with a revolutionary prefilled syringe pack that reduces packaging waste by 62% and a non-electronic, eco-friendly label capable of monitoring both time and temperature. Additionally, the inaugural commendation for ‘Women of the Year’ was also presented.
The winning entry in the Delivery and Device Innovation category was SHL Medical’s Elexy™ reusable electromechanical autoinjector. The result of years of innovative research, Elexy™ is a drug-agnostic solution which has the widest range of primary container flexibility among autoinjectors – meaning it caters to both prefilled syringe- and cartridge-based primary containers. The cartridge-based version of Elexy features SHL’s market-proven Needle Isolation Technology (NIT®). With a pre-installed needle housed within the cap of an autoinjector, the proprietary NIT technology eliminates the need for manual attachment, offering patients a more convenient device.
In the Eco-Design category, the judges selected Huhtamaki for its groundbreaking fully recyclable, heat sealable, ultra-high barrier Omnilock™ Ultra Paper. Specially engineered to replace non-recyclable multi-layer laminates, including those made of paper, plastic and aluminium. Omnilock™ Ultra PAPER represents a significant innovation in sustainable packaging. It offers ultra-high barrier properties previously found only in non-recyclable multi-layer aluminium foil/plastic combinations. With a paper content ranging from 87-93% derived from FSC-certified fibres, the product maintains superior barrier performance while being environmentally friendly.
Moving on to the Packaging Innovation category, the Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company was chosen as a worthy winner for its new vials designed to store gene therapy products with dry ice and liquid nitrogen. Standard COP vials have a poor gas-barrier that is not sufficient for drugs sensitive to O2 and CO2. The OXYCAPT Multilayer Plastic Vial consists of three layers – the drug contact layer and the outer layer are made of COP, while the oxygen & carbon dioxide barrier layer is made of MGC’s novel polyester. Consequently, OXYCAPT provides an excellent oxygen and carbon dioxide and UV barrier, which is circa 20 times better than standard COP monolayer vials.
In the Patient-Centric Design category, UCB Pharma’s redesigned BIMZELX 160mg autoinjector packaging impressed judges with its innovative features and patient-focused approach. Incorporating 15 new design elements, the packaging enhances the unboxing experience and prioritizes ease of use, sustainability, and functionality. Key highlights include a “book style” carton construction for better display of instructions, an intuitive reclosing mechanism, tamper-evident design, and a plastic tray made with 50% recycled PET material.
Active Label was the clear winner in the Start-Up Innovation category for the design of its non-electronic, environmentally friendly labels that monitor both time and temperature. These smart labels are activated using near-monochromatic UV light and utilize engineered materials developed through research in collaboration with Universities and Research Centers. The information from the labels is read through a compact reader that uses optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and a proprietary algorithm to convert signals into time and temperature data. This data is then stored in the cloud, making it accessible to clients remotely.
The inaugural Woman of the Year Award went to Asmita Khanolkar from SMC Ltd. With over two decades experience, Asmita has engineered, managed and led various products from concept to commercial launch. Her product portfolio includes single-use, wearable and implantable devices, drug-device, device-biologic combination products for drug delivery, biotech and bio therapeutics. Their applications cover various indications like diabetes, pain management, cell therapy, tissue regeneration, orthopedic, vascular, women’s health, oncology to surgical products and more. Collectively, she has made a significant contribution to advancing healthcare, with multiple medical devices launched as well as commissioning manufacturing lines for novel devices including first-in-human, single-use, on-body and implantable cell therapy delivery devices.
Commenting on the innovation displayed in this year’s Pharmapack Europe Awards, Tara Dougal, Brand and Content Director – Pharma at Informa, added: “This year, we’ve seen a record number of award categories, yet the quality and innovation of entries continue to reach new heights. Notably, many submissions demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing sustainability through reduced raw material usage, improved recyclability, and lower carbon footprints, all while enhancing patient and user experiences. These efforts reflect the industry’s determination to address critical challenges and shape the future of healthcare. We applaud the entire pharma packaging and drug delivery sector for its relentless drive toward innovation and transformative care standards.”
