June 6, 2008

VCU School of Pharmacy awards 2008 Charles G. Thiel Award to Lars Borgström

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By Cassie Williams
VCU Communications and Public Relations

VCU’s School of Pharmacy is honoring Swedish scientist Lars Borgström with the 2008 Charles G. Thiel Award for his efforts involved in respiratory drug delivery research.
VCU’s School of Pharmacy is honoring Swedish scientist Lars Borgström with the 2008 Charles G. Thiel Award for his efforts involved in respiratory drug delivery research.

The Charles G. Thiel Award, endowed by 3M Drug Delivery Systems at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, is being presented to Lars Borgström, associate director, Clin Pharm, AstraZeneca R&D, Lund in Sweden.

The award recognizes scientists who have made significant developments in the science and technologies surrounding respiratory drug delivery. 

Borgström has been a scientist and line manager at AstraZeneca’s respiratory research unit for the past 25 years. He works in the development and commercialization of several inhalation products for treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

For many years, he served as an AstraZeneca delegate, working with the Food and Drug Administration on regulatory science regarding inhaled medication.

He has delivered more than 70 peer-review original publications and innumerable presentations on inhaled drug therapy.

The endowment is in honor of Charles Thiel, co-inventor of the first metered dose inhaler in 1956 at Riker Laboratories, now 3M. 3M continues to use the device, which allows asthmatics to take repeated doses of their medicine without refilling.

3M Drug Delivery Systems provides inhalation and transdermal drug delivery product development and manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company has a history of supporting the university and the School of Pharmacy in particular, including a previous $30,000 gift to support renal research.