CRANBURY, N.J. and LONDON, Dec. 11, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD), a global biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing and delivering novel medicines for rare metabolic diseases, today announced that Galafold® (migalastat) was awarded the 2018 UK Prix Galien Medal for Innovative Product. The Prix Galien is awarded to companies who have made significant advances in pharmaceutical research, and is regarded as the highest accolade for biomedical research and development.
John F. Crowley, Chairman and Chief Exeutive Officer of Amicus Therapeutics, Inc., stated, “We are honored to receive the prestigious UK Prix Galien medal for Galafold, the first ever orphan drug to win in the Innovative Product category. We believe that this award embodies the efforts among our team at Amicus, together with patients, physicians and the broader Fabry community, to globally develop and deliver Galafold as a medicine for certain individuals who are diagnosed with Fabry disease and who have an amenable GLA mutation, or variant. The Prix Galien awards are considered by many to be the industry’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize, and we are grateful to the Galien Foundation for this very important recognition.”
“The 2018 Awards yet again confirmed the depth and diversity of innovation in UK life sciences. The success of products for rare disease – which, for the first time, dominated the shortlist of finalists – shows that innovation is not confined to Big Pharma or treatments for major headline conditions," said Karen Westaway, Chief Executive of ValueBase, owners of Prix Galien’s UK franchise.
Galafold is approved in the European Union (EU), U.S., Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, South Korea and Switzerland.
About Prix Galien
The Prix Galien Awards were founded in France in 1970 to celebrate the endeavours of scientists, researchers and industry to develop innovations that advance the treatment of human disease. The Prix Galien Awards are held in 17 countries. The UK Prix Galien Awards are held every two years at the Houses of Parliament, London. Since its inception in 1990, just 36 products have won a coveted UK Prix Galien medal, including some of the industry’s most iconic brands. The 2018 UK Prix Galien awards recognized innovation across four categories: Innovative Product, Orphan Product, Real World Evidence and Medical Device.
About Galafold®
Galafold® (migalastat) 123 mg capsules is an oral pharmacological chaperone of alpha-Galactosidase A (alpha-Gal A) for the treatment of Fabry disease in adults who have amenable GLA variants. In these patients, Galafold works by stabilizing the body’s own dysfunctional enzyme so that it can clear the accumulation of disease substrate. Globally, Amicus Therapeutics estimates that approximately 35 to 50 percent of Fabry patients may have amenable GLA variants, though amenability rates within this range vary by geography. Galafold is approved in Australia, Canada, European Union, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and the U.S.
