24 & 25 January 2024
Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles - Hall 7.2 | Paris, France
The Pharmapack Awards recognises products, technologies and solutions that look to improve drug efficacy, patient adherence, and user-safety and demonstrate progressive steps towards a more sustainable future. We celebrate the innovators behind the latest developments in drug delivery and pharmaceutical packaging design.
In 2023 the standard of entries was exceptional and Jury members were extremely impressed with the innovations submitted. For 2024 we have two new categories – the Start-Up Innovation award and the Packaging Partners, Technology and Equipment award.
Pharmaceutical, veterinary, biopharma or OEM companies - you can also co-apply with your manufacturer or packaging developer if the innovation is a collaborative one. That way, both companies get recognised for their work!
The Jury will consider entries that have received market authorization from a qualified national authority for a newly commercialized medicinal product after January 2023.
For this award, the jury members are looking for entries that are designed to improve safety, experience and adherence for the patient or caregiver.
Design Innovation:
• Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, device, method, or novelty to the market?
• Does it offer a competitive advantage?
Patient Experience
• Does the entry improve patient adherence, safety, experience, and outcomes?
• Does it reduce dosing errors, is the patient information created with the user in mind, and is it readable and accessible for all patients?
• Is it easy for the patient to recycle the product?
Ease of Use
• Does the entry promote easy and safe administration by patients or HCPs?
• Is it easy to open and re-seal, is it portable, intuitive, discrete, and ergonomically designed?
Recognising products and solutions which prioritise recyclability, environmental awareness, and a reduced carbon footprint.
Carbon footprint: Does the product demonstrate a significant decrease to the environmental impact vs other products on the market?
Sustainability: Is the new product more sustainable or easier to recycle than existing solutions on the market? Does it demonstrate a reduced use of plastic, or if plastics are used, are they chemically compatible or jointly processable during recycling? Are labels and pigments minimized? If the product is composed of several materials, can they be easily separated during recycling processes?
Recognises products and solutions which improve or enhance health outcomes and the well-being of animals.
Design Innovation: Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, device, method, or novelty to the market? Does it offer a competitive advantage?
Ease of Use: Does the entry promote easy and safe administration by farmers, veterinarians, and pet owners? Is it easy to open and re-seal, is it portable, intuitive, hygienic, and ergonomically designed?
Experience and Outcomes: Does the entry improve adherence, safety, experience, and outcomes for animals? Does it reduce dosing errors, is it easy to administer, does it reduce stress for the animal?
The Exhibitor Innovation Awards allow those exhibiting at Pharmapack Europe 2024 with a corresponding Innovation Package to present new concepts regarding packaging materials, primary or secondary packaging, cool chain and logistics, sustainability initiatives and drug delivery solutions, to the Pharmapack Europe audience.
We welcome entries with a timeline for launch up until the end of 2026, in either proof of concept or prototype stage. Please note, all entries MUST be new or innovative solutions to be considered for the Pharmapack Awards.
For 2024 we have removed the Sustainability Initiative award in recognition of the fact that sustainability is such a crucial consideration for product development, that it should be embedded within each category. By ensuring each category honours an implicit sustainable focus, we are making sure this is vital, and mandatory, to any future-looking product.
This award, therefore, looks for products which demonstrate a tangible reduction in environmental impact and carbon footprint.
Please note the inclusion of specific metrics, the reduction of carbon footprint for example, dramatically helps our jurors when assessing submissions and this is encouraged as much as possible. Entries in this category will be evaluated by a Jury of packaging and drug delivery thought-leaders with a wealth of industry experience.
IMP NOTE: To qualify for an entry to the Exhibitor Innovation Awards, you need to purchase the Innovation Package. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
For this category *You will receive the entry form once we receive your signed Innovation Package contract.
This category aims to recognise innovative approaches to safe and effective drug administration, across ophthalmic, parenteral, oral, respiratory, transdermal, and topical drug delivery solutions.
Ask yourself:
• Innovation: Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, device, method or novelty to the market?
• Patient Experience: Does the entry improve patient adherence, experience and outcomes?
• Ease of Use: Does the entry promote easy and safe administration by patients or HCPs?
• Sustainability: Is the product reusable, ecologically designed or easily recyclable? Does it demonstrate a proven reduction in carbon footprint compared to existing products on the market?
• Added Value: Does it offer a competitive advantage in the market and within its category? Is it a cost-effective solution? Does it exhibit flexibility, adaptability or a collaborative ap proach to development?
This category aims to recognise innovation in technologies, products, materials, and services relating to primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging solutions for finished drug forms.
Ask yourself:
• Innovation: Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, approach, method or novelty to the market?
• Patient Experience: Does the entry improve patient adherence, experience and outcomes?
• Fit for Purpose: Does the entry adequately protect the drug product for which it is de signed? Does it prevent minimal extractable and leachable risk?
• Sustainability: Is the product reusable, ecologically designed or easily recyclable? Does it demonstrate a proven reduction in carbon footprint compared to existing products on the market?
• Added Value: Does it offer a competitive advantage in the market and within its category? Is it a cost-effective solution? Does it exhibit flexibility and adaptability?
Innovation in technologies, products, processes, and services for ensuring the safe handling and tracking of drug substances, raw materials, and finished drug products including, but not limited to, supply chain, audits, temperature-controlled logistics, transport services, track and trace, shipping containers, and distribution channels.
Ask yourself:
• Innovation: Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, approach, method or novelty to the market?
• Patient Experience: Does the entry improve patient adherence, experience and outcomes?
• Fit for Purpose: Does the entry adequately protect the drug product for which it is designed?
• Sustainability: Does the entry exhibit a sustainable approach or minimise waste? Does it demonstrate a clear reduction in carbon footprint?
• Added Value: Does it offer a competitive advantage in the market and within its category? Is it a cost-effective solution? Does it exhibit flexibility, adaptability or a collaborative approach to development?
Recognising innovation in packaging machinery, technology, equipment and partners. This category seeks to recognise both stand-alone and integrated solutions which promote efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainable approaches to the production, assembly and packaging of pharmaceutical products. This category also seeks to recognise excellence in outsourced, commercial or contract packaging services.
Ask yourself:
• Innovation: Does the entry meet an unmet need, or introduce a new idea, approach, method, or novelty to the market?
• Partnerships: Does the entry demonstrate flexibility, resilience and expertise as an out sourcing partner? Has the entry enabled cost savings and speed to market?
• Fit for Purpose: Does the entry offer efficient and cost-effective solutions? Does it prioritise packaging design?
• Sustainability: Does the entry promote a sustainable approach?
• Added Value: Does it offer a competitive advantage in the market and within its category? Is it a cost-effective solution? Does it exhibit flexibility, adaptability or a collaborative approach to development?
This award looks to celebrate and promote those companies who are leading the way for the future of packaging. We want to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our 20 start-ups who have had a great idea, spotted the opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new product or service. We are looking for entries which demonstrate a clear promise of innovation, growth or sustainable development in pharma. We understand that Start-Ups are often at different stages of development, and accept entries across proof of concept, prototype or commercialised stage. Please know this award is strictly for participants of the Pharmapack Europe Start-Up Hub. If you are a start-up that would like to enter please contact [email protected] for more details
Ask yourself:
• Innovation – Does the entry introduce a new idea, device, method or service to the market? Does the product have an approved patent or a pending application? This helps our jurors to assess the feasibility of the product when assessing entries.
• Industry disruptor - Does this product have the potential to disrupt the industry or become the future benchmark for innovation and change?
• Sustainability - Is this product created with sustainability in mind? Does the product have a clear carbon footprint? Please ensure that a suitable metric can be provided.
Review each of the categories and the accompanying criteria to decide where your entry will best fit. Once you’ve selected the correct category, carefully read the criteria distinguishing how your product or service meets ensuring to include as much detail as possible. We love a metric! Build as much data and evidence into your entry as possible, our Jury is looking for entries which offer proven innovation, or a demonstrable improvement over existing market solutions. Liaise with your in-house specialists to extract as much detail as possible! Please note Informa Markets reserves the right to move your entry to a different category from the one applied, should this be deemed a better fit.
As well as a metric, we love a story here at Pharmapack, and we’d love you to tell us one. Make your submission stand out – we know you’re proud of your product, and we want to love it too – so to really wow our jury, ask yourself:
• What is the ‘Why’ behind your product? What trend, challenge or opportunity sparked its development?
• What problem does it hope to solve?
• What benefits does it offer over existing market solutions?
• Is this truly innovative?
• What evidence or data can you share to support your case?
• What overall impact has it had?
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence at all that it is not utterly absurd. - Bertrand Russell Our Jurors are looking to recognise entries which can demonstrate proven impact and tangible metrics, not just interesting ideas. Examples of strong, data-driven entries include:
• When discussing sustainability, reduction of carbon emissions and increase circularity are key metrics – can you prove how your product has reduced emissions? Even if this cannot be precisely measured, an example which helps to show that consideration has been given here will greatly support your entry.
• Has your product won other awards, or been shortlisted in the past? Please include these details
• Costings and unit prices – price is a crucial consideration to balance against innovation
• Documentation – press releases, evidence of clinical trial successes, clinical study reports
• Case studies, testimonials, and other awards you have won.
We ask that each entry is accompanied by a short product demonstration video explaining the functionality of your product or solution. This doesn’t have to be a formal marketing video, a quick recording with a member of your team showcasing key functionalities also works. Video content really helps our jury to see innovation in action, so entries without an accompanying video will not be considered.