Prix ​​Galien Italy 2021 a anti-Ebola vaccine Msd

MSD’s live Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, indicated for the prevention of diseases caused by the Ebola Zaire virus in individuals aged 18 and over, confirms its high impact in countering a potentially devastating epidemic such as Ebola, has achieved on 29 October the prestigious Prix Galien Italia 2021 in the ‘Immunological drug’ category. “It is the first vaccine – reads the motivation for the recognition assigned by the Scientific Committee of the award, coordinated by Pier Luigi Canonico – developed against the Ebola Zaire virus, a prototype of zoonosis with occasional spillovers in humans such as Sars-Cov2. It is also the first vaccine that uses a live (highly attenuated) viral vector obtained for human use, and is capable of inducing a robust immune response, both cellular and humoral “. “The very fast development times, the international alliances and the public-private partnership model that allowed its conception and subsequent production, in addition to its proven effectiveness – continues the motivation – constitute an extraordinary model of ‘preparedness’, that is coordination aimed at the rapid production of a vaccine against a potentially devastating pandemic. The rapid development of vaccines against Sars-Cov2 is indirectly the result of experience with the live vaccine against the Ebola Zaire virus “. Ebola Zaire virus – a MSD note recalls – was conditionally approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on 11 November 2019, subsequently obtaining pre-qualification from the World Health Organization on 12 November 2019. It was therefore approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on December 20, 2019 and is now registered for use in 8 African countries. As of January 2021, it was announced an agreement with Unicef ​​for the creation of the world’s first stockpile of Ebola vaccines with the live vaccine against the Ebola Zaire virus. A milestone that offered a rapid response tool to help combat future epidemics of this highly contagious and endemic hemorrhagic disease in parts of central and western Africa. Since the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2018, MSD has donated more than 350,000 experimental doses of the vaccine to support an extended vaccination access program protocol. The Scientific Committee of the Prix Galien Italia 2021 – the note continues – has also granted a special mention, in the ‘Chemical synthesis’ category, for Doravirine and doravirine / lamivudine / tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, the molecule approved for the treatment of HIV in adult patients. Doravirine is a pyridinone acting as a non-nucleoside inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (Nnrti) and is capable of inhibiting the replication of the virus. “First molecule of a new generation of Nnrti – reads the motivation of the Scientific Committee – doravirine has a generally better efficacy, safety and tolerability profile than the Nnrti already available. The latter, together with triple therapy, now make it possible to manage HIV infection and AIDS as a chronic disease. However, the availability of new anti-infectives such as doravirine allows to expand the range of options to overcome resistance to existing drugs, reduce interactions and improve patient compliance, all elements of extreme importance given the still high incidence of HIV. and its social impact “. First established in France in 1970, the Prix Galien today represents the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in the pharmaceutical sector and the highest tribute to research and development in this field. “I am very proud of these two important awards – affirms Nicoletta Luppi, president and managing director of Msd Italia – which once again mark the great research work carried out by Msd, making us proud of our daily commitment which once again sees us at the side of public health around the world to improve and save people’s lives, leaving no one behind. “” We admire the courage of all those fighting to end this tragic Ebola epidemic, especially the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO and its Regional Office for Africa, community organizations, health workers and frontline rescuers, many of whom have sacrificed their lives to save others. MSD continues its commitment to ensure more sustainable access to the Ebola virus vaccine for those who need it most. At the same time – concludes Nicoletta Luppi – we continue to work tirelessly to realize the dream of living a world without HIV. We cannot fail to give credit to the research for the incredible steps forward in improving the quality of life of people with HIV. But at MSD we want to go further, with the ambition of contributing to giving the next generations a truly HIV-free future ”. Throughout the history of the Award – reads the company note – Msd is the company that has won the highest number of awards both internationally and in our country. In particular, from 1992 (the debut year of the Italian edition) to today, Msd Italia has won this coveted award 12 times. In 130 years of activity, MSD has made available to patients and the scientific community over 200 new and innovative molecules, the result of its strong commitment to Research & Development, as evidenced by the over 13.6 billion dollars invested in 2020 alone.