Abbott receives Illinois environment award

Abbott has received the annual Illinois Governor’s Pollution Protection Award in recognition of the company’s environmental excellence and its heightened awareness of pollution concerns.

The awards, now in their 21st year, honour businesses and organisations in Illinois for significant achievements in protecting the environment and strengthening the economy.

Administered by Illinois’ Waste Management and Research Center, Abbott has now received the accolade six times in the last seven years.

John C Landgraf, senior vice-president of global pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply at Abbott, expressed the company’s delight in being recognised for its environmental efforts.

“Receiving this award affirms our belief at Abbott that reducing consumption and waste, and using more environmentally friendly materials, is critically important for our business and the local communities where our employees live and work.”

Abbott was recognised for introducing pollution prevention projects at its pharmaceutical fermentation manufacturing operations in north Chicago, Illinois in 2006.

The projects brought changes to two manufacturing processes which saved more than three million gallons of water a year.

The company also implemented a process that was able to segregate isopropyl alcohol from other process materials for reuse and so minimised the amount of IPA in the waste stream.

Also this week, Abbott received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency for Humira (adalimumab) as a treatment for moderate for severe plaque psoriasis.