Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw receives Othmer Gold Medal 2014

BANGALORE: Biotechnology firm Biocon Chairperson and Managing Director, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, has received the ' Othmer Gold Medal 2014' in Philadelphia, USA.

Mazumdar-Shaw is the third woman to receive the Othmer Gold Medal and the first Indian to make it to this prestigious group, Biocon said in a statement here.

Accepting the award at an event on Thursday, Mazumdar-Shaw said: "As an entrepreneur who is driven by a sense of purpose to make a difference to global healthcare, I take pride in saying that Biocon is contributing to affordable innovation which goes to the core of ensuring a global right to healthcare."

The CHF lauded Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's pioneering efforts in biotechnology and for scripting a hugely successful entrepreneurial story by drawing on her knowledge of fermentation science to build Biocon, India's first biopharma company, the release stated.

Established by the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in 1997, the annual award honours outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation or philanthropy.