HEAL Foundation organises Pharma Excellence Awards 2020
Pharma companies awarded for their exemplary work during COVID-19 crisis
Aiming to honour different pharma companies for their extraordinary works in different categories during COVID-19, HEAL Foundation — a healthcare advocacy group organised Pharma Excellence Awards on August 20, 2020. Express Pharma was the media partner for this event. The awards were conferred to different pharma companies under five categories: COVID Patient Education Initiative, COVID Medical Education Category, COVID Social Impact Program, COVID Supply Chain Innovation and COVID Drugs.
“The exemplary deeds of various pharmaceutical companies during COVID-19 pandemic to serve the people in myriad ways are worthy enough to be awarded. This award is an appreciation, a gentle reminder to the recipients to keep the flame of their noble deeds burning as and when required to rescue any such unforeseen public health emergency situation like this. The repurposing of drugs by Indian companies have played a pivotal role in meeting the supply chain during the crisis. This crisis has also enabled Indian pharma industry to not only lead the manufacturing but also in R&D and discovering the new drugs and vaccines, to meet global demands”, said Dr Swadeep Srivastava, Founder, HEAL Foundation during the award distribution.
Pharma Excellence Awards 2020 have been conferred to the following companies for different categories.
| Award category | Recipients | Awarded for |
| COVID PATIENT EDUCATION INITIATIVES | CADILA PHARMACEUTICALS | Creating 150+ videos for patient awareness. These videos were circulated through various social media channels. |
| COVID MEDICAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES | JENBURKT | Realising that there is a massive knowledge gap about favipiravir and early detection of COVID-19, over and above launching the product at an affordable price, Jenburkt has been the first in India to launch a Virtual COVID-19 Knowledge Series aptly named ‘Meet the COVID Warriors’ via a series of webinars which is promoted on their social media channels and through Whatsapp. |
| COVID SOCIAL IMPACT PROGRAMS | LUPIN | Lupin launched a helpline in Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal & Indore, facilitating medical outreach to citizens to resolve queries about COVID-19, its symptoms, details about nearest testing centres or government hospitals, and help for those suffering from stress, anxiety or mental health issues. Contributed Rs 21 crore for relief efforts directed towards mitigating the COVID-19 crisis. Employees also contributed Rs 5.5 crore in (PM CARES Fund). |
| GLENMARK | Provided 50 lakh meals for undernourished children, pregnant women and daily wage earners during COVID-19 pandemic in the country. | |
| COVID SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATION | IPCA | Adequate supply of Hydroxychloroquine HCQ in Government institutions as well as in retail markets. |
| COVID DRUGS | CADILA PHARMACEUTICALS | Novel drug in collaboration with ICMR received marketing approval for cytokine storm in COVID 19 patients, the drug is also under clinical development in India SEPSIVAC is repositioned from general sepsis cases to cytokine storm-related sepsis in COVID 19 patients, this drug suppresses cytokine production and circulation, antagonist effect on TLR4, thus blocks overall sepsis cascade. |
| BHARAT SERUM & VACCINE LIMITED | Its product Ulinastatin used in severe sepsis and other critical condition (acute pancreatitis) is undergoing phase III clinical study in mild to moderate ARDS patients with COVID 19 as a repurposed drug. | |
| LUPIN | Launched its Favipiravir in India under the brand name Covihalt for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients on 5th Aug’ 2020. | |
| MYLAN | Developed Remdesivir, maintaining a reliable supply of the drug in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| HETERO | Over 300,000 vials for 50,000 COVID-19 patients were used in two months. To ease up the huge demand, used Baddi and Guwahati facilities to develop liquid and lyophilized powder of Remdesivir. | |
| GLENMARK | Its drug FABIFLU has been used for 20,000 COVID-19 patients to prevent complications and save their lives. | |
| BAXTER | Its oXiris filter set has been used widely during multiple blood purification therapies for AKI patients including CRRT. |
“This is indeed a wonderful initiative by HEAL Foundation to confer awards to the pharma players who have really done excellent jobs as per their domains and capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic to help countrymen combat the crisis. I believe this will be a morale-booster to all the pharma companies to contribute their best for any such situation emanating further”, said Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, Former HoD, Community Medicine, AIIMS, Global Public Health Expert & President, Award Jury, Pharma Excellence Awards 2020.
- Advertisement -