Based on its recent analysis of the pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market, Frost & Sullivan has awarded Baxter’s BioPharma Solutions (BPS) with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Customer Service Leadership of the Year Award at the 2008 Excellence in Healthcare Innovation Awards Banquet held in San Antonio, Texas, on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. BPS was recognized for its dedication to providing a wide portfolio of services, strong customer focus, and high customer satisfaction ratings. “BPS is considered the top choice for outsourcing of manufacturing by respondents from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry surveyed in the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Voice of the Customer analysis,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Barath Shankar Subramanian. “BPS is one of the leading contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) in the sterile manufacturing market – especially prefilled syringes and lyophilized vials.” The foundation of BPS’ success is its customer-centric service model, Process 360º, which offers customers a true partnership experience. It creates transparency and access to the complex process of bringing a molecule to market – and focuses on scientific expertise, market-differentiating technology, highly-involved customer service, high-quality, reliable supply and bottom-line results. BPS’ robust customer-focused approach ensures constant evaluation of customer needs and satisfaction to make certain the company delivers quality services at all times. It also maintains multiple channels of communication with its clients to facilitate continuous engagement and flow of information with clients. “In addition to providing contract manufacturing services, BPS also offers upstream and downstream services, such as formulation services, development services and packaging,” continues Subramanian. “As a one-stop shop, sponsors are able to take a product from R&D all the way to market, across the global markets, by utilizing these services.” BioPharma Solutions is part of Baxter, a global diversified healthcare company that develops products and therapies to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute conditions. With Baxter’s legacy of success behind it, BioPharma Solutions provides high-volume contract manufacturing to its customers – a full range of resources to support initial drug formulation through commercial scale-up, introduction, and life-cycle management. As the parenteral contract services leader of prefilled syringes in North America, BioPharma Solutions offers the potential to improve drug safety and efficacy, increase product differentiation and market potential, and enhance patient compliance and end-user preference. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in customer service and satisfaction. Key metrics include mean satisfaction ratings of CMOs across market segments, relative perceived strengths of CMOs, and overall CMO perception. The recipient company has shown tremendous responsiveness to customer needs and has continually focused on achieving customer satisfaction and excellence in customer service. Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.