NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Prix Galien USA committee last night honored excellence in research, development and innovation in the biopharmaceutical and medical industry at its eighth annual Prix Galien Awards Gala, held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Galien awards committee recognized leading efforts in progressing the welfare of humankind in three categories—best pharmaceutical agent, best biotechnology product and best medical technology. The Prix Galien USA 2014 Award selection committee includes honorary Prix Galien member and Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Elie Wiesel as well as an unrivaled network of esteemed individuals that includes five Nobel Laureates.

Prix Galien USA 2014 Awards were bestowed on Gilead Sciences' Sovaldi^® for best pharmaceutical agent, New York Blood Center's Howard P. Milstein Cord Blood Center for HEMACORD^® (HPC, Cord Blood) for best biotechnology product; and Stryker for Trevo^® ProVue™ Retriever for best medical technology. 

During the unique evening event, the 2014 Pro Bono Humanum Award, which recognizes exemplary and innovative efforts in improving the human condition, was presented to Doctors Without Borders founder Dr. Bernard Kouchner, humanitarian, physician, and former French Foreign Minister.

The Galien Awards Committee selected Dr. Bernard Kouchner for his longstanding humanitarianism in health and politics as well as his commitment to health reform and his numerous interventions to prevent life-threatening crises. A medical doctor from Paris, Dr. Kouchner has authored nine books, co-founded "Medecins sans Frontieres" (Doctors Without Borders), and "Medecins du Monde" (Doctors of the World). Doctors Without Borders, winner of the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize, delivers emergency medical aid to those who lack health care and victims of epidemics and natural or man-made disasters.

"Strides in biomedical research cannot advance without professionals in the medical field who are constantly innovating and dedicating their lives to improving the welfare of patients everywhere," said Bruno Cohen, Chairman of the Galien Foundation.  "This year's nominees are leaders in the development of disease-altering advancements through biopharmaceutical and medical innovation."

In recognition of the development and discovery of biotechnology products that improve the human condition, the selection committee awarded New York Blood Center's Howard P. Milstein Cord Blood Center for HEMACORD^® (HPC, Cord Blood) the 2014 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Biotechnology Product. HEMACORD^® (HPC, Cord Blood) is the first FDA approved allogeneic cord-blood derived hematopoietic stem cell therapy product.  

The 2014 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Pharmaceutical Agent was awarded to Gilead Sciences' Sovaldi^®, a prescription medicine used with other antiviral medicines to treat chronic hepatitis C (Hep C) infections in adults.

In the category of Best Medical Technology, the award was given to Trevo^® ProVue™ Retriever, the first and only fully visible device with Stentriever Technology, which allows physicians to view placement and strut behavior, thereby setting a new standard in precision and retrieval.

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 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.galienfoundation.org.

Galien Foundation Media Contact:
Bryan Gibbs
Makovsky on behalf of The Galien Foundation
bgibbs@makovsky.com

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SOURCE Galien Foundation

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