LONDON, December 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Executives from the global pharmaceutical and biotech industries converged on London last night to celebrate their achievements at the third annual Scrip Awards.
John Davis, the managing editor of Scrip World Pharmaceutical News, opened the proceedings by highlighting progress made by the industry in the past 12 months, such as the introduction of new products for AIDS/HIV, high blood pressure and breast and renal cancer. The industry has also played its part in the public health arena, helping to plan for a possible flu pandemic, developing medicines for rare and orphan diseases, and stepping up efforts to treat neglected diseases in developing countries.
Hosted by Dr Phil Hammond, a UK-based GP, writer and broadcaster, the event was also addressed from New York via video link by Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, UK Minister of State for Trade and Investment. Lord Jones congratulated not just the winners but all the entrants. He saluted the achievements of the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, noting the country has produced 23 Nobel Prize winners in science. Representing 1% of the global population, the UK produces 5% of the world's science, and pharmaceutical exports from the UK amount to GBP14 billion.
Taking three of this year's 13 Scrip Awards home to the US was Schering-Plough. It won Management Team of the Year, sponsored by RSA, Pharma Company of the year (Large), sponsored by Pharmanet, and CEO Fred Hassan won the accolade of Executive of the Year, sponsored by Harten group. Schering-Plough's group vice-president EUCAN Region 1, Francesco Granata said: "I am pleased and proud to be part of this organisation. Fred and his team deserved this recognition."
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals had a successful evening, claiming two awards: it won Best Overall Pipeline, supported by the UK Trade & Investment, while its mTOR inhibitor Torisel (temsirolimus) won Best New Drug, sponsored by the Whitehead Mann Partnership.
The BTG Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by BTG's CEO Louise Makin to Professor Herman Waldmann. Professor Waldmann, who pioneered the application of humanised monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics, is a renowned immunologist with more than 450 publications to his name. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1990 and has been involved in the creation of several groundbreaking monoclonal antibody medicines and has held senior posts at Oxford University - where he is currently Professor at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology; and the University of Cambridge, where he has held a variety of positions including research fellow and reader in therapeutic immunology. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Duke University and Stanford University.
The other 2007 winners are:
- Best Partnership Alliance sponsored by Movianto: Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceutica for the worldwide development of the hepatitis C protease inhibitor telaprevir
- Licensing Deal of the Year sponsored by Adamson & Partners: Oxford BioMedica and Sanofi-Aventis for the development and commercialisation of Trovax
- Best Contract Research Organisation supported by TrialTrove: Kendle
- Biotech Company of the Year sponsored by Fasken Martineau Stringer Saul: Genmab
- Pharma Company of the Year (SMEs) sponsored by Pharmanet: Ovation Pharmaceuticals
- Corporate Social Responsibility sponsored by the ABPI: Merck & Co for its Mectizan Donation Programme
- Best Company in an Emerging Market supported by Scrip: Merlion Pharmaceuticals of Singapore
About Scrip World Pharmaceutical News
Scrip World Pharmaceutical News is the leading provider of news and analysis for the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With its network of journalists in Europe, the US and Asia, Scrip updates its subscribers daily via the website or direct email alert, and twice weekly in a print or PDF newsletter. Pharmaceutical companies the world over rely on Scrip for timely, comprehensive and accurate information on all issues affecting their business, from new legislation to the latest drug discovery advance.
For editorial information contact: Alex Shimmings, Editor Tel: +44(0)20-7017-6954 Email: alex.shimmings@informa.com Website: http://www.scripawards.com
Alex Shimmings, Editor, Tel: +44(0)20-7017-6954, Email: alex.shimmings@informa.com, Website: http://www.scripawards.com
