Medichem Manufacturing (Malta) Ltd, a manufacturer of high quality, generic active pharmaceutical ingredients received the 2009 Management Award for Sustainable Development in the recently held Environment Award for Industry competition, organised by the Cleaner Technology Centre.

The award was given in recognition of Medichem's efforts directed towards environmentally sensitive, sustainable development.

"This is a proud achievement, especially for a chemical company such as Medichem, because it demonstrates that even the chemical industry can operate in an environmentally conscious and sensitive manner.

"This award is a further affirmation of Medichem's sound environmental policies, and comes shortly after receiving the internationally recognised ISO 14001 standard in Environmental Management earlier this year," a company statement said.

Medichem also holds a Good Manufacturing Practice certificate from the Malta Medicines Authority, an ISO 9001 certificate for Quality Management and certification from the US Food and Drug Administration, allowing it to export its products to the US.

The award will allow Medichem to participate in the European Business Award for the Environment, organised by the European Commission.

Medichem Manufacturing (Malta) Ltd and its sister company, Combino Pharm (Malta) Ltd, were established in Malta in 2005 and form part of a Spanish group of pharmaceutical companies, employing over 400 people. Locally, Medichem employs 27 people and performs both manufacturing and research operations. Medichem exports its APIs mainly to the US, Canada, the EU and Japan.