Individuals from across the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector came together online, on Friday 1 October to celebrate success at the Medilink UK National Awards, sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals.

The awards recognised a multitude of achievements and outstanding contributions to the Life Sciences industry, and five companies from across the country were crowned as national winners.

Winning companies from the regional Medilink awards, which were held throughout 2020 and early 2021, were automatically shortlisted for the national titles.

Morningside Pharmaceuticals were the headline sponsors for the awards and also for the Outstanding Achievement Award. Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd is an award-winning innovator, manufacturer and supplier of high quality generic medicines and healthcare products to the UK and international export markets. In the UK the company’s products are distributed twice daily.

The award winners and highly commended companies for the Medilink UK Awards were as follows:

Start Up Award – For newly established companies in the healthcare sector that show a promising future, sponsored by Potter Clarkson LLP.

WINNER:

LUNAC Therapeutics

LUNAC Therapeutics are developing a first-in-class, next generation oral anticoagulant for the treatment and prevention of life-threatening thrombotic events, without the bleeding risk associated with current anticoagulants.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

FluoretiQ

FluoretiQ is a multi-award winning, Bristol based MedTech start-up, founded in 2017. FluoretiQ have developed NANOPLEX™- a rapid diagnostic platform that identifies bacterial pathogens in 15 minutes. This is a ground breaking technology that enables clinicians to confidently use antibiotics at the very start of patient treatment.

KnitRegen

KnitRegen is a wearable MedTech company, creating the next generation smart garments and technology for neurological recovery. Their patent-pending smart textiles deliver state-of-the-art muscle stimulation, providing long-term input to neural pathways, influencing recovery of movement.

Export Achievement Award – For maximising opportunities to exploit and develop new markets or outstanding performance in other areas of international trade, sponsored by Good Travel Management

WINNER:

EthOss Regeneration

Founded in 2013, EthOss Regeneration Ltd has progressed from market entry to one of the fastest growing dental businesses in Europe, with an international presence across 45 countries worldwide. The business’s success has been led by a truly cutting-edge product called EthOss® – a synthetic biomaterial used in dental implant surgery to encourage new bone growth. The product’s creation signified a shift in the dental bone grafting market – a sector that has remained static for decades.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

Vernacare

Vernacare are a global supplier of innovative healthcare solutions, who create quality products which help to improve the lives of patients, residents and healthcare professionals whilst reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections.

As pioneers of safe and hygienic care, Vernacare continue to innovate and collaborate in the areas of single-use toileting systems, personal hygiene, cleaning, surgical solutions, harm reduction and vaccine solutions; continually pushing the standard of care forward.

The Binding Site

Binding Site provides specialist diagnostic products to clinicians and laboratory professionals worldwide. They are dedicated to improving patient lives and delivering innovative medical solutions that improve the diagnosis and management of blood cancers and immune system disorders, through education, collaboration and innovation.

Collaboration with the NHS Award – For the development of a collaboration with the NHS that has or will have a major impact or benefit to both business performance and patient care, sponsored by The Health Innovation Network Network:

WINNER:

Dignio

Dignio connects patients and healthcare professionals through a digital platform that disrupts the traditional way of delivering health services and opens up new possibilities for a more sustainable solution.

The award winning solution, offered in the UK since 2017, enables safe and cost effective care, whilst at the same time liberating clinicians from routine tasks. The trusted blend of methodology and technology empowers each clinician to look after large numbers of individuals, and provides the individuals cared for with a sense of safety, sources of trusted information and support at their fingertips.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

Mastercall Healthcare

Mastercall is an award-winning innovative Social Enterprise organisation, providing a range of patient focused  ‘out of hospital’ healthcare services across the North West of England.

CardMedic

CardMedic is an innovative and multi award-winning app-based Software as a Service platform that improves communication between healthcare staff and patients across any barrier–including foreign language, deafness, blindness, cognitive impairment, or PPE.

Innovation Award – For the development of innovative technology, design and / or processes that have produced a major improvement in business performance and impacted the market, sponsored by Mills & Reeve LLP.

WINNER:

Abingdon Health

Abingdon Health is a leading UK-based lateral flow contract development and manufacturing group. It manufactures innovative testing solutions across a range of industries and areas, such as clinical testing, animal health, and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. The Company is a fully integrated lateral flow business and can offer “an idea through to automated manufacturing” solution for its customers.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

Neuronostics

Neuronostics is a fast growing med-tech company, passionate about using research to improve the lives of people with epilepsy. They are developing a novel and potentially revolutionary seizure susceptibility assessment technology called #BioEP.

Feet Etc Consultancy

Feet Etc Consultancy developed a design and manufacturing process that simplifies the foot orthodotic process. Their online solution interfaces directly with the customer/patient and connects subjective interviews into a design and manufacturing total solution. The manufacturing solution also standardises the manual processes allowing for mass production.

Outstanding Achievement Award – For an outstanding achievement that has had a significant or vital impact on the company and market showing potential for continued growth, sponsored by Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd

WINNER:

Blue Tree Group

After witnessing the face mask shortage of 2020, Bluetree Group, a Yorkshire based print specialist, stepped up to help our NHS by founding Bluetree Medical – the UK’s first manufacturer of much-needed Type IIR masks.

HIGHLY COMMENDED:

SureScreen Diagnostics

Family firm SureScreen Diagnostics has been at the heart of innovation – creating unique alcohol testing devices for ambulances, urine tests for GPs surgeries and now accurate tests for Covid-19.

Their rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 were the first European ones to pass the validation in the laboratory by Public Health England and have been exported to 53 countries and dependencies.  So far 30 million have been produced for the UK government.

West Midlands PPE Collective

The West Midlands PPE Collective came together during the COVID-19 pandemic and co-ordinated the Midlands’ response to national PPE requirements and shortages. Companies involved in this included Airguard Filters, Arrow Medical, Contechs Medical, Wearwell, Hospital Direct (HDI Group) in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB)/Birmingham Hospitals Alliance (BHA).

Guests were welcomed and entertainment by award winning comedian and writer, Stuart Goldsmith, who, after a brief networking session, opened the ceremony with a fun interactive session, involving members of the virtual audience. The Medilink UK Chair, Bill Cruise, gave a warm welcome and the official proceedings were concluded by Medilink UK CEO, Kevin Kiely.

For more information on Medilink UK, visit www.medilinkuk.com