Sao Paulo, Brazil – With a total of 1,655 projects submitted in Brazil and more than 15,000 voting physicians, Eurofarma announces the big winner of the Euro Innovation in Health Award: Dr. Edmar Maciel, from the state of Ceará, with the project “Tilapia Skin: A New Biomaterial for Treating Burns, Wounds, Gynecological Surgeries, and Regenerative Medicine.” The announcement was made on the night of September 24 at a virtual event attended by several guests. The doctor has been studying the use of tilapia skin in burn treatment since 2014, and has been expanding studies in several other medical-surgical specialties. The project has shown the versatility of tilapia skin as a new biomaterial with multiple applications.
“I’m very happy with this achievement. Brazil has never had animal skin to treat burned and injured patients, and the products we’re studying and developing are exported by our country at a high cost, thus often not reaching the poorest parts of the population. We’re finalizing the negotiation process so that a company can register the product with ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency), and then produce and market it at a large scale, even for use in the international market,” the doctor said.
“In an atypical year like this, because of the coronavirus pandemic, we want to highlight the good things that are happening. Eurofarma’s constant support for innovation and projects that bring concrete benefits to Brazilian society’s quality of life is a fundamental part of its DNA. We’re very proud to have made this award possible and reaffirmed our commitment to encouraging the medical community to create more projects that will improve patient care and care for life,” said Roberta Junqueira, Commercial Director at Eurofarma, the exclusive sponsor of the Euro Award.
The award ceremony was marked by great moments, with videos showed how the 11 finalist initiatives made a difference. For 1h30, artistic performances representing the continents made an analogy that medicine and innovation know no boundaries. The night ended with a special concert.
The Euro Innovation in Health Award aims to recognize and offer incentive to the search for solutions in innovative products, services, and actions that have a strong social impact in the country. Dr. Edmar Maciel will receive the corresponding amount to €500,000.00 (five hundred thousand euros) in Brazilian reais. The other 10 finalist initiatives will each receive the corresponding amount to fifty thousand euros (€50,000.00) in Brazilian reais, totaling one million euros (€1,000,000.00).
