Bioiberica organises the 1st Journalism Awards on Heparin to celebrate the centenary of the drug’s discovery

Bioiberica is organising the 1st Journalism Awards on Heparin with the goal of acknowledging the best journalism articles and reports on this active ingredient from all of its perspectives (history, application in health and medicine, economic and industrial dimension, production process, new research and applications...). The awards also aim to encourage the work of journalists in reporting and disseminating information on health, economics and the biotech industry in Spain, in the year when the centenary of this biomolecule is being celebrated.

“Heparin is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines and is calculated to save over 100 million lives every year. However, the public knows little about it and we believe that the centenary of its discovery is a good opportunity to address and promote it,” said Bioiberica CEO, José Escaich.

Journalism articles and reports published or broadcast in Spanish media of any type (press, online media, radio or TV) between 1 March and 31 August 2016 are eligible for the awards. The awards are worth a total of €6,000, divided into two categories: press and online media, and broadcast media (terms and conditions here).

 Heparin was discovered at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore (United States) in 1916. Its action mechanism has widely been described: it accelerates the inhibition of proteins from the blood coagulation system and as a result prevents clot formation. That makes it suitable in the prevention of arterial, vein and pulmonary embolisms, coronary events and peripheral artery disease or atherosclerosis, among other conditions. It has a solid scientific basis and highly proven efficacy. Although it is 100 years old, it continues to be of widespread clinical use and new future applications in diseases such as malaria, cystic fibrosis and cancer are being studied. 

“Bioiberica’s history is closely related to heparin. The company was established with this product in 1975 and today we are leaders in its production and suppliers to the big pharma companies that market the drug,” Mr Escaich said.

In addition to the journalism awards, the company will promote various actions and events throughout the year to foster awareness and knowledge about heparin.

Bioiberica is a Spanish biotech company which specialises in identifying and isolating biomolecules of high therapeutic value, with applications in many life science areas: human, animal and plant health. Today, one out of every five heparin doses administered worldwide has been developed and manufactured in Spain by Bioiberica.