2010 Prix Galien USA Now Accepting Nominations for Top Prize in Biopharmaceutical Research and Development

NEW YORK, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The committee responsible for awarding the most prestigious prize in biopharmaceutical research and development – Prix Galien USA – announced it is accepting 2010 nominations.

Prix Galien USA is awarded in three categories that offer broad implications for future biomedical research: best pharmaceutical product, best biotechnology product and best medical device. All pharmaceutical and biological drugs or devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for first or new indications in the past decade (1999-2009) are eligible for nomination in 2010. This eligibility period will permit the judges to determine both the immediate and the long-term impact these pharmaceuticals, biotechnology products and devices have had on human health and disease.

"For the past three years, the Prix Galien USA committee has recognized accomplishments requiring the highest level of basic research and development skills necessary to improve lives," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Prix Galien USA Committee Chair, Research Professor of Medicine at New York University and Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "The Prix Galien is the only award that pays homage to innovative products of biomedical research that have had a major impact on human health."

The committee, which includes seven Nobel Laureates, will honor the ingenuity of the biopharmaceutical industry at its annual gala event on September 28 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Online nominations for Prix Galien USA 2010 are being accepted through May 31 at http://submission.prix-galien-usa.com.

In 2009, final candidates represented both established and emerging life science companies. The Prix Galien USA committee recognized Novartis Oncology (GLEEVEC®), Amgen (Nplate®), GlaxoSmithKline (PROMACTA®) and Veridex (CellSearch® CTC Test) for innovations that have saved lives worldwide. These discoveries, respectively, have cured leukemia and blood platelet disorders, and made it possible to detect circulating tumor cells in patients with cancer.

The Prix Galien Award recognizes the technical, scientific and clinical research skills necessary to develop innovative medicines and devices such as these, and is considered the industry's highest accolade, equivalent to the Nobel Prize. Prix Galien was first established in 1970 by French pharmacist Roland Mehl and was inaugurated in the United States in September 2007. The Prix Galien USA award committee comprises 11 individuals including Nobel Laureates, founders of major biotech companies and editors of world-renowned biology journals. For details about the Prix Galien USA award and committee, visit www.prix-galien-usa.com.

SOURCE Prix Galien USA