The Galien Foundation Announces "Discovery of the Decade" Award Nominees in Best Pharmaceutical Product, Best Biotechnology Product, and Best Medical Technology Categories

The Prix Galien Foundation has announced the Nominees for its "Discovery of the Decade" awards covering distinguished industry achievement in medical innovation. This once-in-10-years special recognition is being held under the sponsorship of the Foundation's Awards Committee, comprising of nine renowned leaders from academia and industry, including four Nobel Laureates. 

After 10 years of annual awards, the Prix Galien Awards Committee invited the awards winners to compete for the "Discovery of the Decade" awards which will honor their extraordinary human health impact for the three categories considered annually – Best Pharmaceutical Product, Best Biotech Product, and Best Medical Technology. The Discovery of the Decade awards winners will be announced at the 10^th Annual Prix Galien USA Gala on Thursday, October 27, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

"The wonderful quality and broad diversity of medical innovations the Award Committee reviewed are the basis for the better outcomes of patients, illustrating that innovation is more exciting than ever," said P. Roy Vagelos, MD, chairman, Prix Galien USAAwards Committee and first recipient of the Foundation's Pro Bono Humanum Award for service in improving the human condition. "These extraordinary nominees demonstrate that great innovation translates into a brighter future for patients," he added.

Prix Galien USA is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year. Since the first Prix Galien USA awards in 2007, more than 250 new molecular entities [NMEs] have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration [FDA]. This year may surpass the record number of 45 novel drugs brought forward by the biopharmaceutical industry to patients in 2015. Additionally, the FDA has reviewed and approved for use scores of medical devices and technologies in cardiovascular disease, surgical care and diagnostics.

To acknowledge participating companies' quality submissions, the Awards Committee is considering 33 products honored previously since 2007, plus the 2016 Prix Galien USA laureates in each of its three selection categories.

 The Nominees are:  

Best Pharmaceutical Product Category

Best Biotechnology Product Category

Best Medical Technology Category

Bruno Cohen, Chairman of the Galien Foundation, points out to the inclusion of medical devices and related technologies in the Discovery of the Decade Awards beginning in 2009. "The Foundation recognizes that innovation that impacts human life takes varied forms. Whether tablet, biologic or technology, improving patient quality of life is a shared priority. Our objective is to demonstrate the positive health impact over time of many forms of innovation." 

The three recipients of the Discovery of the Decade awards are determined independently by the Prix Galien USA Committee based on a single criterion – their record and potential for impacting human health. Product sales data are not considered by the Committee in its decisions, nor are there any financial or promotional inducements permitted from candidates and their representatives.

Registration to attend the 2016 Ceremony can be accessed here.

Galien Awards Committee 2016

Pr Richard Axel, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Co-director, the Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University Medical Center, New York 
Pr Michael S. Brown, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 
Pr Laurie Glimcher, M.D., CEO and President, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School 
Pr Joseph Goldstein, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine, UT, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 
Pr Robert S. Langer, M.D., David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT 
Pr Paul A. Marks, M.D., Laboratory Head of Cell Biology Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York , President, Emeritus, MSKCC 
Pr Bengt Samuelsson, M.D., Ph.D., Nobel Laureate, Former President of Karolinska Institute and Former Chairman of the Nobel Foundation 
Pr Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., President, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 
Pr Roy Vagelos, M.D., Chairman, Prix Galien Committee, Chairman of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, inc. and Retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co., Inc.

About the Galien Foundation

The Galien Foundation fosters, recognizes and rewards excellence in scientific innovation to improve the state of human health. Our vision is to be the catalyst for the development of the next generation of innovative treatment and technologies that will impact human health and save lives.

The Foundation oversees and directs activities in the USA for the Prix Galien, an international award that recognizes outstanding achievements in improving the human condition through the development of innovative therapies. The Prix Galien was created inFrance in 1970 in honor of Galen, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology. Worldwide, the Prix Galien is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical and medical technology research.

The Galien Foundation and the Awards Committee mourns the loss of its Honorary Member, Pr. Elie Wiesel, Peace Nobel Laureate, Boston University Professor Emeritus, who passed away on July 2, 2016.

For more information, visit www.galienfoundation.org