Best Communication Award

sponsored by Consilium Strategic Communications

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Alliance Pharma plc

Wiltshire-based Alliance Pharma is a leading international healthcare business. The group’s purpose is to improve the lives of consumers and patients through making available a range of clinically valuable healthcare products.

Alliance Pharma was one of the top performers in the benchmarking exercise due to its consistently high and clearly demonstrated best practice. The group’s Annual Report contained a forward-looking strategy section, which was underpinned by ESG values and included some engaging case studies. Alliance Pharma’s website was noted as being easy to navigate with a clean design and a wealth of content. 

Calliditas Therapeutics AB 

Stockholm-based Calliditas Therapeutics focuses on the development and commercialisation of a product candidate called Nefecon for the treatment of renal disease, IgA nephropathy. The group was also shortlisted for the Best Communication Award last year. 

Calliditas has an active IR team who participate in a large number of investor conferences and events. The group’s Annual Report clearly presents Calliditas’ vision and demonstrates that ESG principles are integral to the group’s values. Calliditas has significantly increased its social media presence in addition to increasing its analyst coverage and engagement with shareholders both in Europe and the US.

Ergomed plc 

Surrey-based Ergomed is dedicated to the provision of specialised services to the global pharmaceutical industry and the development of new drugs. The group was also shortlisted last year for the Best Communication Award. 

Ergomed has invested in its IR presence by increasing retail investor media engagements and analyst engagements. The group’s Annual Report demonstrated best practice in several sections, including its strategy and forward-looking focus. Ergomed’s website was noted as being a useful and informative tool and its social media is well managed. 

Evotec AG

Hamburg-based Evotec’s mission is to discover and develop highly effective therapeutics and make them globally available to patients. The group’s network of partners includes all of the Top 20 Pharma and hundreds of biotechnology companies, academic institutions, and other healthcare stakeholders.

Evotec was a strong performer in the bench marking exercise. The group’s Annual Report and website were observed to be very engaging due to the inclusion of creative hand-drawn illustrations. Evotec demonstrates the value it places on its employees and wider stakeholders and its risk management section was noted as being detailed and engaging. 

Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc

London-based Hikma Pharmaceuticals aims to put better health within reach, every day. The group is a trusted, reliable partner and dependable source of over 670 high-quality generic, specialty and branded pharmaceutical products used by hospitals, physicians and pharmacists across North America, MENA and Europe. 

Hikma demonstrated best practices throughout its annual report, making it a strong performer in the bench marketing exercise. Its leadership statements included future growth and returns for shareholders, in addition to incorporating KPIs, supported by images and graphs. The group’s strong online sustainability section includes diagrams and explanatory videos to help elevate stakeholder engagement. 

Medica Group plc

Hastings-based Medica Group is the teleradiology market leader. The group provides hospital radiology departments with independent support to address serious capacity issues in both urgent and non-urgent reporting pathways. It is the trusted partner to over 50% of NHS organisations. 

Medica is committed its IR communication and has some impressive IR content. The group’s Annual Report has an engaging and unique Human Story Q&A, sharing a clinical specialist’s experience of the impact of COVID on radiographers, setting the group apart from its competitors. Medica’s website includes a charity partnership page in the responsibility section, and it makes good use of images and icons throughout. 

Breakthrough of the Year Award

sponsored by FTI Consulting

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Arecor Therapeutics plc

Cambridge-based Arecor Therapeutics is a global biopharmaceutical company. The group is using it proprietary formulation technology platform Arestat™, to develop a portfolio of proprietary products in diabetes and other indications. 

Arecor started the year strongly with successful clinical data from its first clinical trials of lead product, AT247, an ultra-rapid insulin. This was quickly followed up with the expansion of its partner portfolio with companies including Lilly, Hikma and Intas. In June, the group successfully floated on AIM, raising £20m, providing funding to further develop its platform. Arecor then closed the year with its second insulin product, AT278, successfully completing its first clinical trials with results at the highest end of the group’s expectations.

argenx 

argenx is a global immunology company, based in Belgium. The group partners with leading academic researchers through its Immunology Innovation Program (IIP), to translate immunology breakthroughs into a world-class portfolio of novel antibody-based medicines. 

In December 2021, argenx announced the US FDA had approved VYVGART™ for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in adult patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive. These patients represent approximately 85% of the total gMG population. This significant regulatory milestone represented several breakthroughs for argenx. It was the group’s first approved product, the first and only FDA-approved neonatal Fc receptor blocker, and the first approved therapy designed to reduce pathogenic IgGs, an underlying driver of gMG.

AstraZeneca plc 

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca is leading a revolution in oncology. The group’s ambition is to provide cures for cancer in every form, following the science to understand cancer and all its complexities to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

In February this year, the group announced positive high-level results from the pivotal DESTINY-Breast04 Phase III trial, which showed AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo’s Enhertu has the potential to redefine how breast cancer is classified and treated. A HER2-directed therapy has never before shown a benefit in patients with HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, therefore these results represent a historic moment and a significant breakthrough for the group.

Calliditas Therapeutics AB 

Swedish group Calliditas Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialisation of the product candidate Tarpeyo, for IgA nephropathy, an orphan chronic autoimmune kidney disease for which there is no treatment available. 

Calliditas’ breakthrough came in December 2021, with the US FDA approval of Tarpeyo to reduce proteinuria in adults with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN) at risk of rapid disease progression. IgAN can progressively lead to the need for dialysis and/or kidney transplantation, however Tarpeyo offers disease-specific treatment for patients with this complicated disease. This approval marks the successful transition for Calliditas to a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company.

Destiny Pharma plc 

Destiny Pharma is a clinical phase biotechnology company, based in Brighton. The group is dedicated to the development of novel anti-infectives, with a focus on infection prevention, based on its “in-house” XF platform. 

In February this year, Destiny Pharma received positive Scientific Advice from the EMA following its review of the group’s proposed XF-73 Nasal gel Phase III programme design. This pivotal Phase III programme is expected to lead to the registration of the XF-73 nasal gel as a new drug in Europe. In addition, Destiny Pharma are continuing discussions with the FDA for Phase III designs in the US. The group estimates that sales could exceed $ 1bn in the US alone.

Molecular Partners AG 

Switzerland-based Molecular Partners is a pioneer and developer of an entirely new class of therapeutics. The group aims to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases through its DARPin therapeutics. 

In January 2022, Molecular Partners announced positive topline results from its Phase II global clinical study of ensovibep in acute COVID-19 ambulatory patients. The results showed approximately 80% reduction of the combined risk of hospitalization, emergency room visits, or death compared to placebo, regardless of vaccination status. Ensovibep offers a differentiated approach to treating COVID-19 through a single molecule that can target up to three parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus simultaneously to neutralize the virus through cooperative binding.

Best Technology Award

sponsored by MC Services AG

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Aptamer Group plc 

York-based Aptamer Group is a leading provider of Optimer® binders for use in research, diagnostics and therapeutics. The group strives to deliver transformational solutions that meet the needs of researchers and developers across  life sciences through use of its proprietary Optimer® technology.

Optimer binders are next-generation aptamer molecules derived from nucleic acids that function as an antibody alternative. Aptamer’s unique approach to Optimer® selection offers novel aptamers tailored explicitly for each custom project. The advantages of Optimer® binders are rapid development, batch-to-batch consistency, and cost-effective manufacturability, in addition to their ability to bind specifically to a broader target range than other affinity molecules.

Arecor Therapeutics plc 

Cambridge-based Arecor Therapeutics is a globally-focused biopharmaceutical group. Arecor applies its innovative proprietary formulation technology platform Arestat™, to develop an internal portfolio of proprietary products in diabetes and other indications.

Arecor’s technology has the potential to unlock the future treatment landscape for diabetes, hospital care and many other therapy areas. Clinical data for Arecor’s two lead proprietary pipeline candidates demonstrate the strength of the group’s platform technology, with both products outperforming the market-leading insulins in clinical trials. The value and need for Arecor’s technology is proven by multiple revenue generating partnerships with major pharma and biotechs such as Hikma, Lilly and Intas Pharmaceuticals.

ONWARD Medical NV 

ONWARD Medical was formed in 2014 by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The group’s ARC Therapy is designed to deliver targeted, programmed stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement in people with spinal cord injury.

ONWARD Medical is developing two technology platforms which have been awarded three Breakthrough Device Designations by the US FDA. The group’s ARC-IM implantable device for spinal cord injury is the culmination of fundamental research over the last 20 years. Data has revealed the concept of calibrated biomimetic spinal cord stimulation in action in upper limb, mobility and blood pressure indications. ONWARD Medical devices are not yet approved for commercial sale, however the group has a claim as a first to market in these SCI indications.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc 

Headquartered in Oxford, Oxford Nanopore has developed a new generation of DNA/RNA sequencing technology that provides rich data, and is fast, accessible and easy to use. The group makes devices dubbed, the “smartphone of sequencing”, to analyse Covid-19 variants.

Oxford Nanopore has developed a new generation of sensing technology that uses nanopores - nano-scale holes - embedded in high-tech electronics, to perform precise molecular analyses. The group offers the only sequencing technology to combine scalability from portable to ultra-high throughput formats with real-time data delivery and the ability to elucidate accurate biological data through the analysis fragments of native DNA or RNA. Researchers have used nanopore sequencing to generate data essential to combating the spread of COVID-19.

Spectral MD Holdings Ltd 

Spectral MD is a predictive analytics company headquartered in Texas and quoted on AIM. The group has developed a platform that uses proprietary AI to predict how a wound will heal which is revolutionising the management of wound care.

Spectral MD has developed a product called DeepView®, which is a multispectral imaging AI technology with US FDA Breakthrough Device Designation status. The product is able to distinguish between damaged and healthy human tissue invisible to the naked eye, providing 'Day One' healing assessments for burn wounds and diabetic foot ulcers. Spectra’s unique and validated wound diagnosis device is enabling clinicians to work more effectively, in addition to achieving better patient outcomes.

Transgene

Transgene, based in France, is a biotech company that designs and develops targeted immunotherapy products against cancer. The group is exploiting the mechanisms of the immune response to allow patients to defend themselves against disease.

In November 2021, Transgene reported positive data for its novel individualised cancer vaccine TG4050. This individualized immunotherapy is based on Transgene’s advanced virus engineering platform, myvac, and NEC’s deep expertise in artificial intelligence. TG4050 is designed to educate the immune system against each patient’s most relevant neoantigen targets, tumour-specific antigens created by mutations in the malignant cells. Additional patients have been enrolled across the USA, UK, and France for further trials. 

The Emerging Star Award

sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank

 
The 2022 shortlist:

bit.bio

Cambridge-based bit.bio is an award-winning human synthetic biology enterprise. The group’s focus is to develop a scalable technology platform capable of producing consistent batches of every human cell, which has the potential to unlock a new generation of medicine.

During the period, bit.bio experienced significant growth in terms of funding, stakeholder engagement, leadership and business development as it continued to produce human cells at unprecedented scale, speed and consistency. Highlights include announcing the close of a $103m Series B round, in addition to expanding off the shelf cells for bit.bio’s research and drug discovery offering. 

BiVictriX Therapeutics plc

Cheshire-based BiVictriX is a biotech company applying a novel approach to develop safer, more effective cancer therapies. The group’s Bi-Cygni® therapeutics are uniquely selective for particular cancer types, enabling higher dosing and more aggressive cancer eradication without causing harmful side-effects.

BiVictriX achieved several milestones that led to the shortlisting. In August 2021, the group floated on AIM, raising £7.5m. The funds will be used to progress the group’s lead asset, BVX001, an antibody-drug conjugate that has generated “encouraging” preclinical data. Following this, in February 2022, the group announced the expansion of its therapeutic pipeline with two additional programmes both entering the early stages of drug development, demonstrating the broad utility of its Bi-Cygni® approach. 

Microbiotica Ltd

Cambridge-based Microbiotica was founded to exploit fundamental advances made at the Sanger Institute to address barriers to the translation of the microbiome. The group has a portfolio of programs in IBD, Inmuno-oncology and Gut Epithelial Repair.

Microbiotica is a pioneer translating new rigour in microbiome science, as demonstrated by the group’s collaborations with Cancer Research UK and the University of Cambridge to name a few. In March this year, Microbiotica completed the largest microbiome-related financing in Europe to date, via a £50m Series B fundraise. With its unique platform, highly experienced management team and major funding, Microbiotica is positioned to become a global leader in microbiome therapeutics.

MiNA Therapeutics

London-based MiNA Therapeutics is pioneering the development of an entirely new class of medicines, small activating RNAs (RNAas), with the potential to transform therapies against cancer and other diseases.

MiNA is building on decades of progress from the RNA industry, an area of significant focus throughout Covid-19, and is leading the way in RNA activation. The group had a transformational year for its internal pipeline by achieving clinical proof-of-concept with its first RNAa therapy and subsequently initiating a Phase II clinical trial in advanced liver cancer. Validation of MiNA’s approach came via a partnership with Eli Lilly worth up to $1.25bn, who will use the platform to develop RNAa medicines for up to five targets.

Quell Therapeutics Ltd 

London-based Quell Therapeutics was founded in partnership with six world leading experts in the field of immunology. The founders have made a significant contribution towards understanding how to harness the suppressive capacity of Tregs in order to address immune dysfunction.

In November 2021, Quell raised $156m in an oversubscribed Series B Financing. The proceeds are being used to fund clinical development of QEL-001 in liver transplantation, accelerate development of Quell’s product pipeline across transplantation, neuroinflammatory and autoimmune diseases, and to enhance its multi-modular engineered Treg platform and manufacturing footprint. QEL-001 is currently on-track to become the first multi-modular engineered CAR-Treg cell therapy in clinical development.

Sitryx Therapeutics

Oxford-based Sitryx Therapeutics is focused on regulating cell metabolism to develop disease-modifying therapeutics in immuno-oncology and immuno-inflammation. Sitryx's proprietary science is led by a highly experienced management team and supported by world class academic founders.

Sitryx is positioned at the forefront of a rapidly evolving, and high impact, field of science known as immunometabolism. The group’s proprietary platform is being developed on the back of its innovative Product Engine, which exploits a unique cross-discipline approach to drug development. In July 2021, Sitryx announced it had entered into an exclusive, worldwide agreement to license IP rights from the world’s leading cancer charity, Cancer Research UK, for a promising new target to further complement the group’s portfolio.

Synaffix BV 

Netherlands-based Synaffix has developed a clinical-stage platform technology that enables best-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), as well as immune cell engagers and targeted gene therapy, under a technology out-licensing business model.

The 'one-stop' Synaffix ADC technology platform enables the development of proprietary best-in-class ADCs from any antibody and has already delivered 3 programs in Phase 1 with 15 ADCs in total being developed under license agreements by Synaffix partners.

The Synaffix approach is validated by over $3 billion in technology out-licensing deals with world renowned partners like Shanghai Miracogen, Mersana Therapeutics, ADC Therapeutics, Innovent Biologics, Profound Bio,  Kyowa Kirin, Genmab, MacroGenics and Janssen (in collaboration with Mersana).

Mediscience Media Commentator of the Year Award

sponsored by Instinctif Partners

 
The 2022 shortlist:

BioCentury Team 

For nearly three decades, BioCentury has given biopharma executives, investors and institutions the power to make business-critical decisions through independent, deep-dive analysis; high-quality data; industry-leading business intelligence; and global conferences.

The BioCentury Team comprises industry-recognized business and science editors, writers and analysts who deliver trusted intelligence 24/7. The group’s management team includes executives with backgrounds in the biopharma industry, finance, publishing, events and international business.

Clive Cookson/Financial Times 

Clive has worked in science journalism for the whole of his professional life. As the FT’s science editor, Clive covers the entire span of science worldwide, from medicine and biology to physics and space exploration, including research funding and policy issues. Clive won the Mediscience Media Commentator of the Year Award in 2017.

Clive previously worked as science correspondent for BBC Radio. He joined the FT as technology editor in 1987 and has been Science Editor since 1991. Clive is an honorary member of the British Science Association and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Fierce Biotech Team

Fierce Biotech is a free daily email newsletter for the biopharma community. The newsletter keeps industry leaders up to speed on the latest news on biotech companies, drug discovery and development, venture capital, and more. Fierce Biotech is part of the Fierce Markets group, published by Questex. 

Biopharma is a fast-growing world where big ideas come along daily, therefore there is no shortage of news on which Fierce Biotech can provide analysis, comment and data on drugs and the companies that make them. The Fierce Biotech team shows readers not only what they need to know, but why they need to know it. 

Financial Times Health Team

FT Health is a monthly guide to the big issues at the intersection of global health and finance. The newsletter provides original news, interviews and data and showcases the best health journalism from the FT and beyond. 

The FT Health Team had one of the toughest reporting jobs in history during COVID-19. The team’s most recent features include lessons learnt from the pandemic and the global challenges now present. The Healthcare team is a fundamental part of the FT, with Clive Cookson heading up Science and Sarah Neville covering healthcare. The team were subsequently joined by Hannah Kuchler, who extended her brief to Global Pharma correspondent, and Donato Mancini who covers the European Pharma market. 

Siegfried Hofmann and Maike Telgheder/Handelsblatt 

Siegfried and Maike have covered the pharma, healthcare and biotech fields for around fifteen years whilst working at Handelsblatt, a leading daily German newspaper. In 2014, Handelsblatt launched a digital, English-language edition, called Handelsblatt Global Edition, which aims to reach an international audience interested in German business and finance news. 

Siegfried and Maike consistently demonstrate their broad understanding of the life sciences industry, both within Germany and internationally. Siegfried reports on the pharmaceuticals and chemicals branches from Frankfurt and Maike is Editor of the 'companies and markets' section, focusing on the healthcare industry and pharmaceuticals. Readers rely on the commentary from these journalists to remain updated on developments in the sector across the whole of Europe. 

Melanie Senior 

Melanie is an experienced biopharmaceutical industry analyst, reporter and commentator following strategic, commercial and scientific issues affecting the sector. She is a regular contributor to Nature Biotechnology, Informa Business Intelligence (IN VIVO, Datamonitor, Scrip) and EY Life Sciences. 

Melanie is a long-standing industry commentator. She is known for her specialist and feature coverage and consulting across market access, pricing, outcomes-based care, precision medicine, digital health, AI, R&D strategies and consumer empowerment for a range of clients in biopharma and investment community.

Capital Market Transaction of the Year Award

sponsored by LifeSci Partners

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Abivax

Paris-based Abivax develops innovative treatments modulating the body’s natural immune system machinery to treat patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, viral infections and cancer. The group leverages its immune enhancing and antiviral platforms to develop drug candidates to treat ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and liver cancer. 

In July 2021, Abivax announced the pricing of its oversubscribed capital increase of €60m in addition to convertible bonds of €25m. The transaction was executed despite difficult market conditions and is based on promising data from Abivax’s ongoing late-stage clinical development program with its lead compound, ABX464, which has demonstrated the potential to make a difference in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).

argenx 

Netherlands-based argenx is a global immunology company committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases. Through its Immunology Innovation Program (IIP), the group aims to translate immunology breakthroughs into a world-class portfolio of novel antibody-based medicines. 

In February this year, argenx raised over $1bn from the sale of 1,608,000 ADSs at a price of $320.00 per ADS and the sale of 1,517,000 ordinary shares at a price of €265.69 per ordinary share. The funds raised will be used to expand the group’s leadership position in FcRn blockade to include a total of ten autoimmune indications by the end of 2022. 

Heidelberg Pharma AG

Based in Germany, Heidelberg Pharma develops antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of oncological diseases. The group is the first company to use and develop the active ingredient Amanitin for cancer therapies, representing a new therapeutic principle.

In February 2022, Heidelberg Pharma signed a deal valued at over $1bn with Chinese company Huadong Medicine, comprising an exclusive licensing agreement, in addition to an investment agreement. Huadong will develop and commercialise Heidelberg’s lead candidate, HDP-101, for the treatment of multiple myeloma and HDP-103 for prostate cancer in large parts of Asia. In addition, Huadong will receive exclusive options for two of Heidelberg’s additional ADC candidates, establishing the group as a major player in the global ADC field.

Induction Healthcare Group plc

London-based and AIM listed Induction Healthcare is a leading flexible care platform driving digital transformation of healthcare systems worldwide. The group’s products enable information sharing between busy doctors, alleviate operational burdens on hospitals and put patients in better control of their care, all while ensuring the highest standards of clinical safety and information security. 

Following the transformational acquisition of Zesty Limited in June 2020, Induction Healthcare completed the purchase of Attend Anywhere in June 2021. Attend Anywhere is a video consultation platform that enables Induction Healthcare to provide flexible care at a national scale across the UK. This transaction was pivotal for the group as it reinforced its already strong NHS footprint and is a strongly accretive acquisition, delivering £10.4m in revenues and £4.5m in EBITDA in the year to 30 June 2021. 

Oxford Biomedica plc 

Oxford Biomedica is based across several locations in Oxfordshire. The group is an innovative leading viral vector specialist with over twenty years of expertise. OXB uses its LentiVector® platform to develop product candidates in-house, before seeking partners to take the products into clinical trials.

In January 2022, OXB raised £80m in a share placing to acquire an 80% stake in a newly formed AAV focused manufacturing and innovation business. The transaction enables OXB to broaden its capabilities into the AAV segment, which represents a significant step forward in the group’s goal towards becoming a global viral vector champion with expertise across key viral vector types. In addition, the deal allows OXB to expand its presence into the US, making it a transformational transaction. 

Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc 

Based in Oxford, Oxford Nanopore has novel  DNA/RNA sequencing technology that provides rich data, is fast, accessible and easy to use. The group’s nanopore sequencing generating data has been essential during the pandemic to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Oxford Nanpore floated on the Main Market in September 2021, achieving a market cap of £3.5bn, making it the third-largest biotechnology listing globally. Shares in the group surged more than 40% after its IPO and analysts called the transaction a “game changer”, as listing in London bucked the trend for high technology floats to go to NASDAQ and provided a boost for  European exchanges. Just a few weeks after announcing its plans to go public Oxford Nanopore raised another £195m, placing the group in the top ten money raisers among medtech startups.

Most Significant Contribution to the Mediscience Sector Award

sponsored by SP Angel

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Baillie Gifford 

Baillie Gifford is a Global Investment Manager. The group is unique in the UK in being a large-scale investment business that has remained an independent private partnership. This ownership structure allows Baillie Gifford to keep its efforts focused entirely on its clients and their investments.

Baillie Gifford manages and advises £277bn in specialist equity, fixed income and multi-asset portfolios for a global client base. The objective of the group’s Health Innovation Fund is to invest in global equities selected from companies involved in the healthcare industry, as demonstrated recently by being a lead investor in Argenx’s two latest fund-raising rounds and in Exscientia’s $510m upsized IPO. Baillie Gifford’s Health Innovation Fund are long-standing investors in IP Group, including Oxford Nanopore’s IPO, in addition to being private investors in CureVac and long-standing investors in both Genmab and BioNTech. Baillie Gifford’s investments have contributed towards helping these companies achieve historical breakthroughs in science. 

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen/Novo Nordisk Foundation 

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish foundation with corporate interests. The Foundation aims to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities of the companies in the Novo Group (Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S), in addition to supporting scientific, humanitarian and social causes.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has been supporting fundamental research and the development of novel technologies for almost a century. The Foundation aims to help solve some of the major future health challenges and has implemented many new initiatives to benefit people and society, including awarding prizes to honour and reward individuals for outstanding scientific contributions, teaching or other efforts that support research. The number of jobs created through Novo Nordisk Foundation grants has more than doubled in the past 5 years. In 2020, a total of 5,500 people had jobs that were wholly or partly funded by grants from the Foundation.

Antoine Papiernik/Sofinnova Partners 

Sofinnova is the largest independent European venture capital firm in life sciences, specialising in healthcare and sustainability. The group has backed more than 500 companies over 50 years, creating market leaders around the globe.

Sofinnova is celebrating its 50th year this year. Antoine has been with the group for over half this time, having joined the fund in 1997.  Antoine believes Life Sciences investing is not just about recognising good science, it’s about people and learning how to interact with co-investors, limited partners, and entrepreneurs. Antoine has been an initial investor and active board member in a number of public companies, including Actelion, ProQR, Shockwave Medical, NovusPharma, Movetis (sold to Shire), and Pixium Vision. He has been selected twice for the Forbes Midas List and is one of the few European and life science investors to have appeared on the prestigious list.

Andreas and Thomas Strüngmann 

The Strüengmann’s have been on a long and successful journey in the healthcare sector. The twin brothers have built a strong portfolio of biotechnology leaders with their €750m investment into emerging life science disciplines, including AiCuris and BioNTech.

The Strüengmann’s co-founded Hexal in 1986 and later sold the drugmaker (plus a stake in Eon Labs), to Novartis for some $7bn. Since then, the brothers have continued to fund breakthrough science and innovative biomedicines. As the largest founding investors of BioNTech, the Strüengmann’s have enabled the development of mRNA technology, famously resulting in the novel vaccine against COVID-19 that saved millions of lives. 

Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation 

Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is the largest private financier of research in Sweden, and one of Europe’s largest. The Foundation’s aim is to benefit Sweden by supporting basic research and education, mainly in medicine, technology, and the natural sciences.

The Chairman of Stockholm’s Enskilda Bank, K. A. Wallenberg, and his wife Alice, founded Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation in 1917. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over SEK 33bn in grants, and assets have grown to SEK 213bn, thanks to active, long-term investments. The Foundation initiates grants to strategic projects and scholarship programs, and in 2020 alone awarded SEK 541m in grants to 18 research projects offering high scientific potential.

Wellcome Trust 

Wellcome is a politically and financially independent global charitable foundation, based in London. The group is funded by a £38.2bn investment portfolio and its strategy includes grant funding, advocacy campaigns and partnerships to find solutions for today’s urgent health challenges.

Wellcome was founded by Sir Henry Wellcome, a pharmaceutical entrepreneur. The group’s vision is to support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. In response to this, Wellcome dedicates funding in three areas, on a global scale; Infectious diseases, by targeting research and resources to inform local, national and international actions needed to prevent, prepare for, and respond to these threats; Global heating, by bolstering research into its harmful effects; And Mental health, by pulling disparate scientific and clinical fields together to accelerate the development of better treatments. 

Best Newcomer Award

sponsored by Bryan, Garnier & Co 

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Aelis Farma

Aelis Farma is a biotech company, based in France. The group has developed a new class of drugs, the signalling specific inhibitors of the CB1 receptor (CB1-SSi), of which two compounds are at clinical stage.

Aelis Farma has developed two “first-in-class” drug candidates; AEF0117, which targets disorders linked to cannabis use; and AEF0217, which targets cognitive disorders such as those caused by Down’s syndrome. The group has acquired unique knowledge and capability regarding the pharmacology of CB1-SSi and has broadened its portfolio of compounds and patents targeting treatments for several brain diseases. In February 2022, Aelis Farma  listed on Euronext Paris with a market cap of €175m, making it the largest IPO (by market cap) of a biotech over the past 5 years.

Amniotics AB

Amniotics is a biopharma company based in Sweden. The group develops cell therapy drugs based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from amniotic fluid. The company was born out of the discovery of a new source of stem cells in full-fledged amniotic fluid, which was based on a decade of research.

Amniotic’s platform enables the extraction of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) from amniotic fluid, which is recovered from healthy voluntary donors in connection with planned caesarean sections. These stem cells have unique properties for applications in regenerative medicine. The collection is safe for both mother and child and generates an easy-to-handle cell material. Amniotic listed on Nasdaq First North in June 2021, raising proceeds of SEK60m.

Arecor Therapeutics plc

Essex-based Arecor Therapeutics is a globally focused biopharmaceutical company. The group is applying its innovative proprietary formulation technology platform, Arestat™, to develop an internal portfolio of proprietary products in diabetes and other indications. 

Arecor is an example of British innovation at its finest, with the idea to develop healthcare that is affordable for all. The group had an extremely successful year, starting with successful clinical data from the first clinical trials of its lead product, an ultra-rapid insulin. This was followed with the expansion of its partner portfolio with the likes of Lilly and Hikma, and then in June, Arecor successfully floated on AIM, raising £20m to further develop its platform. Arecor closed the year with its second insulin product successfully completing its first clinical trials, with results at the highest end of its expectations.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc 

Headquartered in Oxford, Oxford Nanopore has developed a new generation of sensing technology that uses nanopores - nano-scale holes - embedded in high-tech electronics, to perform precise molecular analyses. Researchers have used nanopore sequencing to generate data essential to combating the spread of COVID-19.

Oxford Nanpore’s technology was validated via its listing on the Main Market in September 2021, which was the third-largest biotechnology listing globally with the group achieving a market cap of £3.5bn. Analysts called the transaction a “game changer”, as listing in London bucked the trend for high technology floats to go to NASDAQ. A few weeks after announcing its plans to go public Oxford Nanopore raised another £195m, placing the group in the top ten money raisers among medtech startups. 

Spectral MD Holdings Ltd 

Headquartered in the US, with offices in the UK, Spectral MD develops technology using predictive analytics and AI algorithms to help clinicians make more accurate and faster treatment decisions. 

Spectral MD’s DeepView® Technology is a portable imaging platform that allows for immediate wound healing assessment and provides clinicians with physiological information that is not visible to the human eye. The group listed on AIM in June 2021, after raising £11.3m via an oversubscribed placing, giving the group a market cap of £80m. Listing in London was an important step in Spectral MD’s development to help boost growth in Europe and to access new capital.

Vimian Group AB 

Stockholm-based Vimian is a global, fast-growing group of innovation-driven companies with a shared passion for improving animal health. The group brings together pioneering and entrepreneurial businesses in animal health, with an aim to create a uniquely diversified proposition of products and services. 

Vimian covers four essential and rapidly evolving areas within animal health: Specialty Pharma, Diagnostics, Veterinary Services and MedTech. The group provides individual businesses with access to its networks, expertise, infrastructure and capital to accelerate innovation and growth. In June 2021, Vimian listed on Nasdaq First North in a Private Placement that was oversubscribed multiple times and attracted strong interest from high-quality institutional investors, including SEK5.1bn in cornerstone investments.

Chief Executive of the Year Award

sponsored by Panmure Gordon

 
The 2022 shortlist:

Lisa Anson/Redx Pharma plc

Lisa has been the CEO of Redx since 2018. Prior to joining the group, Lisa had significant leadership experience in global pharmaceuticals, including a twenty-year career at AstraZeneca. Lisa was the first female president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and was involved in helping the UK government develop a strategy for the sciences sector.

During her tenure, Lisa has led the transformation of Redx into a clinical stage biotech with two programmes in clinical development and a growing pipeline of preclinical assets. Lisa has been credited with the turnaround of the company, having joined the group just months after it emerged from administration, and has led the re-launch of Redx by taking the necessary steps to build a substantial biotech business. Lisa was the driving force in securing major partnership deals for four of Redx’s assets with large and speciality pharma, in addition to securing long term financing with blue chip life science focused investors.

Christian Hogg/HUTCHMED

Christian was the CEO of Hutchmed for fifteen years. He was the group’s very first employee having joined the group in 2000. Christian announced his retirement from the group in March this year after spending twenty-two years at Hutchmed. Prior to this, Christian spent ten years with P&G managing its detergent business in China followed by a move to Brussels to run P&G’s global bleach business.

Whilst at Hutchmed, Christian led all aspects of the creation, implementation and management of the group’s strategy, business and listing. This included the creation of the Hutchmed’s start-up businesses and the operational integration of assets that led to the formation of the company’s China joint ventures. Last year, Christian oversaw the group’s listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange, which raised $537m. Christian retires leaving Hutchmed with more than $1bn of cash, a portfolio of six in-house clinical-stage drugs and three medicines that are approved in China.

Sarah Howell/Arecor Therapeutics plc

Sarah has been CEO of Arecor since 2015. She joined the company in 2013 and since becoming CEO, has transformed the group from a technology licensing services business into a publicly-listed clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a market cap in excess of £100m. Sarah started her pharmaceuticals career at GSK, working on antiviral medicines and prior to joining Arecor, was the VP, CMC & Technical Development at BTG plc.

Through Sarah’s leadership, Arecor has grown significantly. Sarah spearheaded the group’s £20m AIM IPO, raising the group’s public profile in the eyes of institutional and retail investors, and widening its shareholder base, in addition to securing multiple collaborations with major pharma companies. Sarah’s business acumen is highlighted in Arecor’s involvement in the London Stock Exchange’s international business support programme, ELITE. She is also involved in mentoring through alumni programmes as she is passionate about providing diverse role models to women coming into STEM. 

Stuart Quin/Medica Group plc

Stuart joined Medica Group in September 2019. During his tenure Stuart has delivered for customers and shareholders alike, despite the impact Covid had on the business. Prior to Medica, Stuart was regional Chief Executive of Synlab, where he gained experience of delivering significant growth both in the UK and internationally and working in partnership with the NHS. 

During the pandemic, Medica, saw its business and share price suffer as scanning capacity in the NHS was seriously impacted. However Stuart was laser focused on delivering the company’s strategy and ensuring volumes returned to pre-pandemic levels, despite the adversity faced. Stuart reorganised the business to integrate support functions and maximise efficiency and executed strategic acquisitions including Medica Ireland and RadMD, providing the group with entry into the $1bn global market of clinical trial imaging. Thanks to Stuart’s focus on execution, Medica’s share price has improved  significantly and the group is poised to continue to continue its growth trajectory.

Miroslav Reljanovic/Ergomed plc

Miroslav is the Executive Chairman of Ergomed, in addition to being a medical doctor and a board-certified neurologist. He founded Ergomed in 1997, introducing the novel Study Site Coordination model as an intrinsic part of the conduct of clinical studies. Miroslav co-founded PrimeVigilance in 2008, now a leading specialist provider of pharmacovigilance services to the pharmaceutical industry and winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in both 2014 and 2019. 

Miroslav has led Ergomed through a period of significant global expansion, resulting in a share price rise of over 15% during the period. This has included Miroslav overseeing the acquisition of ADAMAS in February this year, which brings a key complimentary offering to the business, in addition to integrating two further US businesses acquired in 2020 and leading the opening of a new office in Japan in April last year, establishing Ergomed’s presence in the APAC region. Miroslav’s has delivered key strategic milestones and achieved significant growth resulting in financial results ahead of market expectations.

Company of the Year Award

sponsored by WG Partners

 
The 2022 shortlist:

ALK-Abelló A/S 

ALK is a global allergy solutions company with a wide range of treatments, products and services to meet the unique needs of allergy sufferers, their families and doctors. Headquartered in Hørsholm, Denmark, the company is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen. 

During the period, ALK maintained its progress towards achieving continuous growth and improved profitability. Highlights from the group include completing its three-year transformation, gaining approval for paediatric use of the ragweed-tablet in the USA and completing a feasibility study for a peanut allergy product. The group reported its revenue grew by 12%, driven by higher sales, margin improvements, and efficiencies.

argenx 

Shortlisted for three awards at this year’s European Mediscience Awards, Argenx is committed to improving the lives of people suffering from severe autoimmune diseases. The group is evaluating efgartigimod in multiple serious autoimmune diseases and advancing several earlier stage experimental medicines within its therapeutic franchises.

2021 was a pivotal year in the history of argenx due to several milestone achievements. It marked the year of the group’s first product approval of vyvgart and its official transition into an independent, fully integrated immunology company, owning the full value chain of a drug candidate – from identifying an immunology breakthrough to reaching patients. In addition, argenx advanced its late-stage efgartigimod trials across four indications, announced two new efgartigimod indications and started patient trials with its second candidate.

AstraZeneca plc

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused pharmaceutical company. The group is leading a revolution in oncology and its ambition is to provide cures for cancer in every form and to discover, develop and deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

2021 was a landmark year for AstraZeneca. The group continued its strong growth trajectory, with its industry-leading R&D productivity and thirteen blockbuster medicines, in addition to completing a $39bn takeover of Alexion Pharmaceuticals.  AstraZeneca delivered on its promise of broad and equitable access to its COVID-19 vaccine and received further positive news from its pipeline, including FDA emergency use authorisation of Evusheld and the approval of Tezspire, supporting a strong outlook for 2022.

Calliditas Therapeutics AB

Calliditas Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialisation of the product candidate Tarpeyo, for IgA nephropathy, an orphan chronic autoimmune kidney disease for which there is no treatment available. Calliditas is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and the Nasdaq Global Select Market and has been shortlisted for three awards and this year’s European Mediscience Awards.

Calliditas had a transformational year, starting in December 2021, with the US FDA accelerated approval of Tarpeyo to reduce proteinuria in adults with primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN). This marked Calliditas’ successful transition to a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company. The group has been actively pioneering research and development into this rare kidney disease for well over a decade, therefore the approval and subsequent commercialisation of Tarpeyo was a milestone moment. During the period, Calliditas also significantly advanced its other pipeline programmes, including starting a phase II programme in head and neck cancer. 

Ergomed plc

Ergomed is a leading global provider of specialised services to the pharmaceutical industry with two key business areas, CRO and pharmacovigilance services. The group’s developments over the last year have put Ergomed firmly on the map with key stakeholders including media, analysts and investors. 

Ergomed had a number of key developments during the period, making it a stand-out year for the business. The group continued to expand its global presence, opening an office in Japan to establish its presence in the APAC region. Ergomed further strengthened its position in the US following the integration of two key acquisitions from 2020, and completed the acquisition of ADAMAS in February 2022, solidifying the group’s position as a leading global pharmaceutical services provider. 

Novo Nordisk A/S

Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company, whose aim is to defeat diabetes and other serious chronic diseases such as obesity, rare blood and endocrine disorders. The group is pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to its medicines and working to prevent and cure disease. 

During 2021 Novo Nordisk exceeded expectations by growing the business, serving more patients and expanding its pipeline for long-term success. The group’s Changing Diabetes® in Children partnership provided free, holistic diabetes care to nearly 32,000 children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries. Novo Nordisk’s strong commercial performance was driven by its portfolio of GLP-1 based therapies. The group’s acquisition of Dicerna demonstrated its ambition to innovate within both established and new therapy areas.