The Prix Galien Italia returns to reward pharmaceutical innovation: one of the most authoritative appointments for the entire national medical-scientific community. Novartis with three awards for its therapeutic solutions, reconfirms its commitment to reimagine medicine in the context of pharmaceutical innovation. The three awards of the 2021 edition – a note reads – awarded during the awards ceremony held today in Milan, were obtained in three of the different categories in which the award is divided.
Zolgensma * (onasemnogene abeparvovec), gene therapy which has been recognized as fully innovative, and which represents a real turning point in the treatment of SMA, spinal muscular atrophy, has obtained the Prix Galien in the category of Medicines for advanced therapy (Atmp – Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). A special mention in the category of chemically synthesized drugs was instead recognized to the therapeutic combination Tafinlar * + Mekinist * (dabrafenib + trametinib), the first molecular target therapy approved as an adjuvant treatment in patients with stage III melanoma. Another special mention, this time in the category of digital therapies, to Enerzair * Breezhaler * (Qvm149), which in Europe is the first inhalation therapy for uncontrolled asthma that can be used together with an optional digital sensor that connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth.
“The recognition received again this year is an important confirmation for us”, says Pasquale Frega, Country President and CEO of Novartis Italia, commenting on the success at the Prix Galien 2021. “It has even more value after the hard test that the offer of health had to deal with during the pandemic crisis, which was overcome thanks to the decisive contribution of the pharmaceutical innovation of which we are promoters. The three awards that Novartis received at the Prix Galien further testify to our commitment to re-imagine medicine and to help make the lives of many patients better ”.
Commonly known as the ‘Nobel’ of pharmacology – the note recalls – the Prix Galien was born in France in 1970 with the aim of enhancing the most important innovations in the field of pharmacological research, has also been held in Italy since 1992 and has become once one of the most prestigious and awaited appointments of the national medical scientific community. Among the pharmaceutical companies active in our country, Novartis is the one that has received the most awards over the years.
In detail: Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) is the first gene therapy available for SMA, a rare genetic neuromuscular disease which is one of the main causes of infant death. Gene therapy is designed to address the genetic cause of the disease: it acts by directly replacing the missing or non-functioning Smn1 gene and is administered only once in the patient’s life intravenously, allowing a significant clinical benefit for the young patients themselves. In this sense, the drug may provide, over a long time horizon, an important clinical benefit for patients in terms of improving muscle functions, including those involved in breathing, swallowing and basic motor movements.
Tafinlar + Mekinist (dabrafenib + trametinib) is today the first molecularly targeted therapy approved as an adjuvant treatment in patients with stage III melanoma and at high risk of relapse. It has shown that it can guarantee a long-lasting and relapse-free survival in 52% of treated patients and, thanks to a formulation that allows oral administration and therefore home treatment, it promotes greater adherence to therapy, together with a better quality of life for patients. patients themselves. Finally: Enerzair * Breezhaler * (Qvm 149) is the first inhalation therapy in once daily administration, a fixed combination of three active ingredients indacaterol acetate, glycopyrronium bromide and mometasone furoate, for the treatment of uncontrolled asthma. The particularly innovative character of this therapeutic solution – continues the note – is represented by an optional digital system consisting of the electronic sensor that connects via Bluetooth technology to an app on the patient’s smartphone, performing the reminder function for taking the drug. providing information on air quality and collecting entered data relating to asthma control. The sensor records therapy inhalation and sends drug usage data to the app, allowing drug adherence to be monitored. The information recorded on the app is collected in a report that the patient can share with their doctor, thus providing the specialist with the data necessary for clinical evaluation.