Kiran Mazumdar Shaw awarded the prestigious ‘Nikkei Asia Prize’ 2009 for Regional Growth

Bangalore, May 11, 2009: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairman and Managing Director, Biocon Limited has been honoured with the ‘Nikkei Asia Prize’ 2009 for Regional Growth. Japan's prestigious business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) awards Nikkei Asia Prizes annually to individuals or institutions from Asia Pacific region recognizing outstanding achievements that improve the quality of life in Asia. In addition to Ms. Shaw’s Regional Growth category, prizes are given in the categories of Culture and Science, Technology & Innovation.

Lauding her role as the head of India’s leading biotechnology enterprise, Biocon, Ms. Shaw was nominated by the prize committee for her pioneering work in the field of biotechnology in India, by establishing a business model that believes in innovation and intellectual excellence, her achievements as a first generation entrepreneur and her status as an icon of entrepreneurship in India. Under her stewardship, Biocon has evolved from its inception in 1978 as an industrial enzymes company to a fully integrated Bio-pharmaceutical enterprise encompassing a well balanced business portfolio of products and services with a research focus on Diabetes, Oncology and Auto-immune disease. 

Established in 1996 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Nikkei Inc.'s founding, the Prizes serve to promote mutual understanding among Asian nations and to help people around the world deepen their understanding of Asia. Candidates nominated for the award include scholars, business executives and journalists. Among the prominent past winners of the Nikkei Asia Prize are Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, Professor Mohammed Yunus, Managing Director, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh and N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor, Infosys.

The award will be formally conferred on Ms. Shaw at the ceremony for the 14th Nikkei Asia Prizes in Tokyo, Japan on May 20th, 2009.

About Nikkei Inc

Nikkei Inc, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan acts as an operating holding company with newspaper businesses as a core. Group operations range from books, magazines to digital media, database service, broadcasting and other activities such as economic/cultural events

About Biocon
Established in 1978, Biocon Limited is one of India's premier biotechnology companies. Together with its group companies.  Biocon forms a fully integrated biotechnology enterprise, specializing in biopharmaceuticals, custom research and clinical research which deliver products and solutions to partners and customers across the globe. Biocon launched the world's first recombinant human insulin, INSUGEN® in November 2004 using Pichia expression and India's first indigenously produced monoclonal antibody BIOMAb-EGFR™.

A leading US trade publication, Med Ad News, in its 2007/08 listings has ranked Biocon 20th amongst the leading biotechnology companies in the world and the 7th largest Biotech employer in the world. Biocon recently received the 2009 BioSingapore Asia Pacific Biotechnology Award for Best Listed Company.

Focusing on unmet medical needs in cancer, diabetes and inflammatory diseases, Biocon offers novel therapies on a platform of affordable innovation. Biocon’s strategic licensing partnerships provide market penetration and global access to deliver breakthrough therapeutics to millions of patients the world over.

Visit us at www.biocon.com

For further information contact:

Paula Sengupta
Biocon Limited
Tel: +91 80 2808 2808
Fax: +91 80 2852 3423
Email: paula.sengupta@biocon.com