BioSpectrum Life Sciences awards presented

BANGALORE, INDIA: The first BioSpectrum Asia Pacific Life Sciences Industry Awards was presented on Thursday evening to Individuals as well as companies which played a key role in promoting life sciences industry in Singapore and Asia.

Singapore’s Senior Minister for Industry and Trade, S. Iswaran, presented the awards at a glittering event at Singapore attended by nearly 200 life science industry leaders from Singapore and other Asia-Pacific countries.

The Product of the Year award was BioMAb EFGR, a cancer treatment drug developed by India-based biotech company, Biocon Ltd.

Philip Yeo, the special adviser for economic development to Singapore’s Prime Minister, who played a key role in Singapore’s rise as a hub for life sciences industry by setting up BioPolis and Fusionopolis, received BioSpectrum’s first Asia Pacific Life Time Achievement Award. The Entrepreneur of the Year award was given to Jung Jin Seo, CEO, Celltrion, South Korea.

“The first BioSpectrum Asia Awards programme is part of the magazine’s effort to highlight the achievements of the life sciences industry in Singapore and the region even as it seeks to become a hub for the development of cutting-edge technology,” said Pradeep Gupta, publisher of BioSpectrum and chairman of CyberMedia, South Asia’s largest specialty publication.

“The award-winning magazine, available in print, digital and online formats, will continue to play to catalytic role in helping the regional industry capture global attention and become a leader in this vital segment,” Gupta added.

Three Singapore-based companies, S*Bio, GleneaglesCRC and Veredus Laboratories, were presented with BioSpectrum Editor’s Choice Award for assuming a leadership role in Singapore’s BioScience, CRO and Medical Technology segments.

Presenting the awards, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Industry and Trade, S. Iswaran said, “The biomedical sciences industry is an important part of Singapore’s economy. In 2008, this sector contributed 22.2 per cent of our manufacturing value-add, and was the second largest contributor within the manufacturing sector.”

The awardees were selected by an international jury convened by BioSpectrum Asia, a monthly published from Singapore by CyberMedia Singapore Pte Ltd, since 2006.

The jury included eminent Biotech leaders from four Asian countries: Dr Edison Liu, executive director, GIS, Singapore; Dr Anna Lavelle, CEO, AusBio, Melbourne; Dr Jeong-Sun Seo, president, KOBIOVEN, Seoul; Dr Shrikumar Suryanarayan, director-general, Association of BioTech Led Enterprises, Bangalore and Abraham Mathew, chief editor, BioSpectrum.