NEW YORK, July 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galien Foundation today announced the 2019 Annual Prix Galien USA Award nominees. Counted among the global health innovation industry's most prized honors, the Prix Galien Award recognizes outstanding biomedical and medical technology product achievement that improves the human condition.

To qualify, each candidate must be U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing within the last five years and demonstrate significant potential to advance human health worldwide. Sales data are not considered by the nominating committee in their award nominee selection; innovative science and health impact is paramount.

"We are blessed to live in a time of exciting scientific, medical and technological advances that promise a revolution in cures, treatments and tools for patients everywhere," said Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, chair of the Prix Galien USA Awards Committee and CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "The 2019 nominees demonstrate this incredible potential across multiple platforms and reflect the abundance of new science that underpins the Galien Foundation's mission to improve the human condition."

The Prix Galien USA 2019 nominees include products evaluated in the following categories: "Best Biotechnology Product," with 17 nominees; "Best Pharmaceutical Product" with 22 nominees; and "Best Medical Technology," 17 nominees. 

Nominees include the first FDA-approved drugs using RNA interference technology and targeted mutation gene therapy; the first of a new line of 'tissue agnostic' cancer-fighting drugs; an entirely new class of female contraceptives, designed for use in resource-limited settings; novel inhalation devices that enhance dosing accuracy against major chronic conditions like asthma and COPD; the first FDA-approved therapy for endometriosis pain in more than a decade; the first in a new class of anti-epileptic drugs and first prescription product derived from the cannabis plant; and the first prescription digital therapeutic to address the opioid abuse crisis through interactive engagement between patient and clinician.

Best Biotechnology Product (Nominees)

Best Pharmaceutical Product (Nominees)

Best Medical Technology (Nominees)

"The nominees selected by our independent committee reflect how drug, device and delivery technologies are converging to offer more options for people, especially those with untreatable conditions, along with the ability to make products more effective and convenient for those who need them most, including for the aged, children and women," said Bruno Cohen, Chairman of the Galien Foundation.  "In addition to all the great science, it reflects progress in the global movement for health equity, which is also central to our mission to improve the human condition.  Thus, it is both timely and proper that our gathering on October 24 will celebrate the achievements of these researchers and innovators, whose work represents the next chapter of human progress in fighting disease."

The Prix Galien USA Committee is composed of 12 renowned leaders from the biomedical industry and academia, including four Nobel Laureates, who together are responsible for evaluating nominees. Winners will be announced during the Prix Galien USA Awards Ceremony on October 24, 2019 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.  Registration to attend the 2019 Prix Galien Awards Ceremony can be accessed at http://register.prix-galien-usa.com

Prix Galien Awards Committee 2019

Susan DESMOND-HELLMANN, M.D., M.P.H, Chief Executive Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Committee Chair

Richard AXEL, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Co-Director, Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columba University Medical Center, NYC, NY 

Michael S. BROWN, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Laurie GLIMCHER, M.D., CEO and President, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA

Joseph GOLDSTEIN, M.D., Nobel Laureate, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine, University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Robert LANGER, Sc.D., David H. Koch Institute Professor, MIT, Cambridge, MA

Cato T. LAURENCIN, M.D., PhD., University Professor, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Paul A. MARKS, M.D., Laboratory Head of Cell Biology and President Emeritus, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NYC, NY

Michael ROSENBLATT, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Flagship Pioneering Inc, Cambridge, MA

Bengt SAMUELSSON, M.D., Ph.D., Nobel Laureate, Former President, Karolinska Institute; Former Chairman, Nobel Foundation 

Marc TESSIER-LAVIGNE, Ph.D., President, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

P. Roy VAGELOS, M.D., Retired Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co.; Chairman of the Board, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Committee Chairman (2012-2017)

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 catalyze the development of the next generation of innovative treatments 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 in France 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.

For more information, visit www.galienfoundatinon.org

Galien Foundation Media Contact:
Kara Bradley
Finn Partners
646 213 7243
kara.bradley@finnpartners.com

SOURCE The Galien Foundation