Galen of Pergamon Prize

The Galenus von Pergamon Prize ( Galenus Prize for short ) is a two-tier science award that has been promoting pharmacological research in Germany since 1985 . The award owes its name to the influential doctor Galenus von Pergamon , who lived in the 2nd century AD.

Structures, international background

Initially awarded annually, in 1992 the rhythm changed to biennial. The original name of the Claudius Galenus Prize was also changed to the one that is valid today. The prize has been awarded annually since 2009.

The prize is supported by an international community of donors. Foundation members are the leading medical publishers in each of the 15 participating countries. It was first awarded in France in 1970.

In Germany, Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH represents the international community of donors and donates the national prize. The winners are selected by a 12 to 16-person committee made up of renowned specialist scientists.

German distinction is twofold

• Pharmaceutical innovations: A medal is given to a particularly innovative pharmaceutical that has been approved in Germany at the time of submission. Since 2009, this award is further divided into the categories of Primary Care, S pecialist Care and from 2014 also in orphan drugs .
• Basic research : A medal and 10,000 euros are awarded to a research achievement in clinical and / or experimental pharmacology that has been carried out outside the pharmaceutical industry.

Award winners

Drug innovations

The prizes for innovative drugs were awarded to:

• 1985: The wormer praziquantel against schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis)
• 1986: Sandimmun with the active ingredient Ciclosporin A , an immunosuppressant
• 1987: The first ACE inhibitor, captopril
• 1988: The first recombinant vaccine gene HB-Vax , vaccine against hepatitis B.
• 1989: The muscle relaxant dantrolene
• 1990: The first agent against HIV Retrovir , with the active ingredient zidovudine (azidothymidine).
• 1991: The Parkinson's drug Movergan with the active ingredient selegiline
• 1992: The preemies -Arznei Survanta from Lungenphospholipiden ( surfactant )
• 1993: The vaccine HIB-Vaccinol , the first Hib-conjugate vaccine introduced in Germany.
• 1995: The diagnostic Echovist ( galactose ), the world's first commercially produced ultrasound - contrast agent
• 1997: Losartan , the first angiotensin II receptor antagonist
• 1999: The Anti- Craving -Medikament Campral with the drug acamprosate
• 2001: The monoclonal antibody palivizumab for the prophylaxis of severe lung diseases
• 2003: The antibiotic Zyvoxid with the active ingredient Linezolid
• 2005: Velcade with the active ingredient bortezomib , a proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma
• 2007: The cancer drug Avastin with the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab as the first angiogenesis inhibitor

Primary care

• 2009: Procoralan (active ingredient: ivabradine ) for the therapy of patients with coronary heart disease
• 2010: Pradaxa (active ingredient: dabigatran ), anticoagulant
• 2011: Prolia (active ingredient: denosumab ), indication: osteoporosis
• 2012: Gilenya (active ingredient: fingolimod ), indication: multiple sclerosis
• 2013: Xifaxan (active ingredient: Rifaximin ), a broad spectrum antibiotic for hepatic encephalopathy
• 2014: Tecfidera (active ingredient: dimethyl fumarate ) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
• 2015: Selincro (active ingredient: nalmefene ), opioid system modulator for alcohol addiction
• 2016: Jardiance (active ingredient: empagliflozin ), indication: diabetes mellitus type 2
• 2017: Entresto (active ingredients: sacubitril and valsartan ), indication: symptomatic chronic heart failure
• 2018: Zinplava (active ingredient: bezlotoxumab ), indication: prevention of recurrence of an infection with Clostridium difficile
• 2019: Shingrix , indication: vaccine against shingles

Specialist Care

• 2009: Orfadin ( Nitisinon ) for the treatment of type 1 tyrosinemia
• 2010: Removab (active ingredient: catumaxomab ), antibodies for malignant ascites
• 2011: NPlate (active ingredient: romiplostim ), indication: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• 2012: Zelboraf (active ingredient: vemurafenib ), antibody for metastatic malignant melanoma
• 2013: Kalydeco (active ingredient: ivacaftor ) against cystic fibrosis and Perjeta (active ingredient: pertuzumab ), indication: certain forms of breast cancer
• 2014: Sovaldi (active ingredient: sofosbuvir ) for hepatitis C.
• 2015: Xofigo (active ingredient: radium-223 dichloride ), indication: bone metastases in prostate cancer
• 2016: Keytruda (active ingredient: pembrolizumab ) and Opdivo (active ingredient: nivolumab ), PD1 inhibitors
• 2017: Cinqaero (active ingredient: reslizumab ) for severe eosinophilic bronchial asthma
• 2018: Hemlibra (active ingredient: emicizumab ), indication: haemophilia A and antibodies against factor VIII
• 2019: Reagila (active ingredient: cariprazine ), indication: schizophrenia

Orphan drugs

• 2014: Sirturo (active ingredient: bedaquiline ), an oral antibiotic against MDR-TB (multi-resistant TB strains) approved for combination therapy
• 2015: Translarna (active ingredient: ataluren ), for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• 2016: Kanuma (active ingredient: sebelipase alfa ) for LAL deficiency ( cholesterol ester storage disease )
• 2017: Venclyxto (active ingredient: Venetoclax ) for the treatment of high-risk patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• 2018: Holoclar , a stem cell transplant for the eyes for limbal stem cell insufficiency, and Spinraza (active ingredient: Nusinersen ) for spinal muscular atrophy
• 2019: Kymriah (active ingredient: Tisagenlecleucel ) and Yescarta (active ingredient: Axicabtagen-Ciloleucel ), CAR-T-cell therapy for leukemia and lymphomas

Basic research

The following people were awarded the € 10,000 Research Prize:

• 1985 Wolfgang A. Günzler (laboratory and department head at Grünenthal , head of the "Saruplase" project) and his working group (category B) for "Chemical, enzymological and pharmacological equivalence of urokinases isolated from genetically transformed bacteria and human urine"
• 1987: Martin Lohse and Karl-Norbert Klotz from Heidelberg for elucidating the effects of agonists on receptors
• 1995: Edgar Schömig and Hermann Russ from Heidelberg / Würzburg for their work on the inhibition of noradrenaline transport and to Norbert Pfeiffer for his work on the treatment of glaucoma
• 2007: Alexander Dietrich from Marburg and Norbert Weißmann from Gießen. The two working groups at the University Hospital Gießen and Marburg have identified a switching point for hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction: the function of the cation channel TRPC6.
• 2010: Kristina Lorenz from Würzburg for her contributions to heart failure research
• 2011: Wolfgang Kühn from Freiburg for his research on the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD)
• 2012: Thomas Worzfeld from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim for work on the plexin receptor
• 2013: Oliver Groß ( Göttingen ) for work on ACE inhibitors in Alport syndrome
• 2014: Christine Skerka and Peter F. Zipfel (Jena University Hospital and Hans Knöll Institute) for work on membranous proliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN)
• 2015: Jan Eric Siemens (Pharmacological Institute of Heidelberg University) for work on pain modulation through messenger substances
• 2016: Michael Potente (Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim) for work on the regulation of blood vessel growth
• 2017: Florian Bassermann (TU Munich) for work on the molecular mechanism responsible for the anti-tumor effects of immunomodulating substances (IMiDs)
• 2018: Peter Kühnen and Heike Biebermann (Charité Berlin) for work on the treatment of leptin receptor deficiency with Setmelanotide
• 2019: Sonja Schrepfer (University Heart and Vascular Center Hamburg) for work on transplant medicine with stem cells

Web links

• Official website of the Galenus von Pergamon Prize

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A Chronicle of Progress. Retrieved September 6, 2010
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Galenus Prize / CharityAward: These are the winners. In: aerztezeitung.de. Doctors newspaper, October 15, 2015, accessed on October 16, 2015 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Galenus Prize / CharityAward: These are the 8 winners. In: aerztezeitung.de. Doctors newspaper, October 21, 2016, accessed on October 21, 2016 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Award by Springer Medicine: These are the winners of the Galenus von Pergamon Prize 2017. In: aerztezeitung.de. Doctors newspaper, October 19, 2017, accessed October 20, 2017 . 
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Innovations and commitment honored: Galenus Gala 2018 - These are the winners. In: aerztezeitung.de. Doctors newspaper, October 18, 2018, accessed on October 22, 2018 . 
6. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ärzte Zeitung: Excellent !: Galenus Prize 2019 - These are the winners. In: aerztezeitung.de. October 17, 2019, accessed October 18, 2019 . 
7. ↑ See Wolfgang A. Günzler: A recombinant thrombolytic active ingredient from the Grünenthal research SARUPLASE. In: the scales. Magazine of Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen. Volume 35, 1996, No. 2, pp. 75-79.
8. ^ Medical newspaper of March 7, 2005
9. ↑ Doctors newspaper: 1995: The first winner was a diagnostic. In: aerztezeitung.de. April 1, 2005, accessed September 13, 2017 .