2007-03-17 01:13:54 -
WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michael R. Barbachyn, Ph.D., Steven J. Brickner, Ph.D. and Douglas K. Hutchinson, Ph.D., received the 2007 Discoverers Award for inventing the life-saving prescription drug Zyvox(TM). Pfizer, Inc's revolutionary Zyvox(TM) is the first medicine in a new class of antibiotics that helps treat life-threatening infections caused by highly resistant hospital-borne bacteria as well as pneumonia.
The Discoverers Award is the highest scientific honor given by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). It was presented at PhRMA's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The award,
which was instituted in 1987, recognizes scientists whose research and development of pharmaceuticals have greatly benefited mankind, and whose dedication to improving the quality of patients' lives exemplify the best in the research industry today.
Dr. Brickner, who headed the team that discovered Zyvox(TM), is currently a Research Fellow at Pfizer Global Research and Development in Groton, Connecticut. Dr. Barbachyn serves as a Director in the Antibacterial Chemistry Group at Pfizer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Dr. Hutchinson, who previously worked at Pfizer, is now an investigator in antiviral research at Abbott Laboratories in Abbott Park, Illinois.
PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin remarked that, "More than one million patients worldwide are living longer, healthier lives since the life-saving antibiotic Zyvox(TM) was discovered by these pharmaceutical scientists. After 13 years of tireless work researching and developing Zyvox(TM), patients suffering from life-threatening infections and pneumonia now have the peace of mind that there is a treatment available to fight their battle against disease. This couldn't have been possible without the amazing dedication of these researchers to advancing human life by developing, what we all consider, a miracle medicine."
Zyvox(TM) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April 2000 and is the first member of an entirely new class of antibacterial agents in more than 35 years. Drs. Brickner, Barbachyn and Hutchinson were pioneers in collaborative research. Although they ran separate research laboratories, they came together in an effort to develop strategies and share ideas to reach their goal of helping patients access a new, cutting-edge therapy to treat serious and life-threatening infections. A 2006 Harvard Business Review article called Zyvox(TM), "the poster drug ... for cross-functional collaboration."
Tauzin added, "There are currently 74 new antibiotics in development by America's pharmaceutical research companies to help treat millions of patients around the world suffering from deadly infections."
America's pharmaceutical research companies every year invest heavily in the research and development of new cures. Last year alone, PhRMA member companies invested some $43 billion in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and development reached a record $55 billion in 2006.
At a news conference on Capitol Hill yesterday, PhRMA presented the first- ever Clinical Trial Exceptional Service Award to two clinical researchers and a young patient. This award recognized Donald H. Batts, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine-Kalamazoo Campus and Sharon Nachman, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York. These two researchers who were honored for making incredible advances in the clinical trials which were critical to the development of Pfizer's prescription drug Zyvox(TM). The award was also given to an 11-year-old volunteer patient, Maryam Imam who, as a two-and-one-half year old, participated in compassionate use clinical trials of the life-saving treatment Zyvox(TM).
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $43 billion in 2006 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $55.2 billion in 2006.
PhRMA Internet Address: http://www.phrma.org/
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org/
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org/
For information on the danger of imported drugs, visit: http://www.buysafedrugs.info/
Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
