Mumbai Singapore March 17, 2011 - At the third BioSpectrum Asia awards event India’s Cipla Chairman Dr. Yusuf K Hamied was handed over the BioSpectrum Life Time Achievement Award by Mr. Leigh Berryman, Chairman of BioSingapore, a leading association of BioTechnology companies in Singapore.

Under Dr. Hamied leadership, Cipla is tirelessly working to make healthcare affordable for all, especially in the world’s poor countries. He made AIDS treatment a single pill therapy and made it available at a much lower price.

Cipla set up by Dr. Yusuf K Hamied’s father has seen a meteoric rise in the last 50 years since he joined the company. Cipla makes a record 70 million Salbutamol inhalers in a year, making a difference to the lives of millions of Indians.

These inhalers which help asthma patients lessen their suffering are sold for just $2-3 whereas it costs 6-8 times more in most parts of the world. This is just one of Cipla’s remarkable achievements in the last 76 years.

By honoring the visionary industrialist Dr. Yusuk K Hamied’s efforts with the 3rd BioSpectrum Asia-Pacific Life Time Achievement Award 2011 it recognizes the efforts of Cipla to set the agenda for the global pharma industry in generic medicines and providing affordable healthcare to millions in the developing world.

BioSpectrum Entrepreneur of the Year was awarded to CEO of China’s Sinovac Weidong Yin for producing the Influenza A H1N1 Vaccine during swine flu epidemic and marketing it in 2009 in just 87 days. Sinovac is capitalizing on the vaccine opportunity under Dr. Weidong Yin’s leadership.

Australia’s Mesoblast Chairman Prof Silviu Itescu earned the title of BioSpectrum Person of the Year for carving out a niche as a promising stem cell company in the Asia Pacific. Under Prof Itescu’s leadership Mesoblast now aims to generate a series of high margin, off-the-shelf adult stem cell products that are obtained from a single donor.

The BioSpectrum Product of the Year had Joint-Winners in India’s Cipla’s Mother-Baby Pack (HIV) and Spyder from Singapore’s WEB Biotechnology.

Cipla’s Mother-Baby Pack contains the entire range of antiretroviral drugs and antibiotics required by an HIV-infected mother starting from the 14th week of pregnancy until the 6th week after delivery. It helps prevent the HIV transmission from mother-to-baby by improved compliance.

Spyder is the world’s smallest, wireless ECG sensor and display that allows user to move around while their ECG imaging is constantly monitored. Launched in August 2010, Spyder has galloped its way into the clinics in Singapore and Malaysia.

The international jury’s choice of Prof Silviu Itescu, the key mover behind Australia’s Mesoblast, one of the global pioneers in developing treatments using adult stem cells, as the BioSpectrum Asia Pacific Person of the Year 2011, was also unanimous.

Romania-born Prof Itescu studied in Australia and founded Mesoblast in 2004 is fulfilling his quest to translate the scientific achievements with adult stem cells into affordable medical products and treatments for people.

“Since its launch in Singapore in 2006, the BioSpectrum has attempted to bring an Asian flavor to the world of Life Sciences, dominated for over a century by globe-dominating life science companies, formed in the US and Europe,” said Narayanan Suresh, Editor of BioSpectrum Asia that completed its 5th anniversary this month.

Along with these jury awards, the Editor’s Choice Awards for Emerging Companies in Asia Pacific region went to Patrys, Australia; Vaxine, Australia; Pharmigene, Taiwan; Biogenica Scientific, Malaysia; Imgenex, India and LeadInvent, also from India.

BioSingapore, the leading industry association of the country, has joined hands with BioSpectrum to honor AMRI Singapore for its highly appreciated efforts in boosting life sciences in the island nation.

Also, this year a BioSpectrum-BioSingaopore Special Award was conferred on a Singapore company that made a difference to the country’s life science industry by stepping up the employment creation in the industry.

BioSpectrum Asia Pacific Awards 2011 jury comprised: Dr. Chia-Lin Jeff Wang, president, Development Center for Biotechnology, Taiwan; Mr. Nick Gatsios, executive director & MD, HealthLinx Limited, Australia; Prof Jeongbin Yim, Seoul National University & president A-IMBN & IMBN Venture, Korea; Dr. Krish Krishnan, BioSingapore representative & head, Jeiva International, Singapore; Dr. Anji Reddy, chairman, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, India and BioSpectrum Asia Life Time Achievement Awardee, 2010; and Mr. Abraham Mathew, group editor, BioSpectrum.

About BioSpectrum Asia
The Asia edition of BioSpectrum was launched 5 years ago to chronicle the growth of the Life Sciences industry in the Asia Pacific region. BioSpectrum is an integrated media platform with the content, gathered from all over Asia Pacific and important global information, delivered in print, digital and online formats, to reach out to the thousands of eager business leaders in more than 12 countries in Asia Pacific and a large community of business leaders in Europe and the US.

BioSpectrum, first founded in India, in March 2003, has been at the forefront of providing a window to the world into India’s fast growing life sciences sector.

About Cyber Media India Limited
CyberMedia is the largest specialty media house in South Asia and amongst India's top five magazine publishers. With 15 publications, 12 websites, over 100 events and two weekly TV programs, it reaches out to a community of over 1.5 million people. Its brands have consistently been leading in their respective domains. They cover infotech (Dataquest, PCQuest, ciol.com), technology (MIT’s Technology Review), telecom (Voice&Data), biotech (BioSpectrum), entrepreneurship (Dare), outsourcing (Global Services), and consumer electronics (Living Digital, ld2.in).  

Its Media Services include market research (CMR); and Content Matrix LLC which provides through its subsidiaries, custom publishing (TDA Group LLC) and content management services (Publication Services Inc. and CyberMedia Services).

For media queries, please contact:

At Strategic Communications & PR
Sanjiv Kataria,
+91-9810048095
Email:, sanjiv.kataria@gmail.com
www.sanjivkataria.com