Drug Discovery of the Year 2015 opens for nominations

21 May 2014, London UK: The British Pharmacological Society is now accepting nominations from anyone in the world for its third Drug Discovery of the Year award.

The award was established by the Society in 2012 to demonstrate the importance of pharmacology in the development of new medicines, and to reward the achievements of the teams of scientists who discover and develop these drugs.

Previous winners

Drug Discovery of the Year 2013: the Genentech team who developed vismodegib

Drug Discovery of the Year 2014: the GlaxoSmithKline team responsible for trametinib

Professor Humphrey Rang, BPS President, comments: “The British Pharmacological Society was encouraged by the exceptional quality of the nominations received last year. I am delighted to announce the call for submissions to our third Drug Discovery of the Year award and to welcome nominations from across all disease areas that demonstrate the importance of both pre-clinical and clinical pharmacology in translating early discoveries into medicines that benefit patients.”

The Society’s Industry Committee will consider nominations for the discovery team behind a drug – whether a large or a small molecule – that best fulfils the following criteria:

·         preclinical to clinical translation shows the importance of both preclinical and clinical pharmacology in the drug discovery/development process

·         gained regulatory approval within the last three years in the EU and/or US

·         has a significant impact on an unmet medical need

·         first-in-class, or is a significant improvement over other drugs in the class

·         mechanism of action known

Nominations must be received by 1 October 2014. The winning team will be publicly announced during the Society’s flagship meeting Pharmacology 2014, held in London on 16-18 December 2014, and attended by an anticipated 1,000 pharmacologists.

The award does not promote the administration, consumption, prescription, purchase, recommendation, sale, supply or use of the winning medicine; nor does it pre-empt any regulatory decisions. Further information is available from www.bps.ac.uk

Update on 28-31 August 2013 EACPT Congress in Geneva

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The abstract deadline for the next biennial EACPT Congress is only 6 weeks away: 8th April 2013.
See the EACPT Congress blog for summaries on many of the symposia to be held during the Congress: from new therapeutic biomarkers, to new biomarker and treatment targets (cancer, eye disease, predictive pharmacogenetics, inborn errors of metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring ...), and how to improve safety in prescribing ...

The Congress will be held at the International Congress Centre of Geneva from 28 to 31 August 2013. 

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Over 900 participants are expected to attend including health professionals, scientists, policy makers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical professionals and others with an interest in basic and clinical pharmacology, pharmacotherapy, drug discovery and development, regulatory affairs and related areas.

Abstract submission

Registration

2013 EACPT Geneva Congress website.

Strategy development for the EACPT

EC members from UK, Sweden, Croatia and Italy

The European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics provides expert advice for European policy makers and medicines agencies, and organises congresses and workshops providing key information on the latest advances in research, education and policy on drug development and on the efficacy and safety of new and established medicines and their management. The EACPT  provides important additional support for its members, including representation and advocacy, training, and other aspects of development of the specialty.

EC members from France, Holland, Denmark, Finland and Germany

The international landscape for learned medical societies is evolving rapidly as a result of several key factors, including the impact of advances in molecular technology on drug discovery and development, changes in populations demographics, emergence of new therapeutic challenges,  the current global economic climate, and the effects of new e-technologies on ways of working and interacting for health and industry professionals, researchers and other interested in clinical sciences.

EC members from Holland, Spain, Germany & Hungary

The EACPT Executive Committee is in the process of conducting one of its regular strategy reviews, including evaluation of opportunities for the Assocation and its communities arising from the above developments. Results and actions arising from the strategy review will be discussed at the next biennial EACPT Congress to be held in Geneva 28-31 August 2013.

More on the EACPT Geneva 2013 Congress.

Update from Geneva

The latest meeting of the EACPT Executive has just finished in Geneva in advance of the next major EACPT biennial congress, which is to be held in this lakeside Swiss city in the summer of 2013.

Here are three important updates about the EACPT's scientific and educational programmes:

The next EACPT summer school will be held on 23rd to 25th August 2012 in Amsterdam, with an excellent range of topics for delegates interested in education in key principles relevant to clinical pharmacology. See the website for further information.

At the next European Pharmacology Congress in Granada  July 17th - 20th, 2012,  EACPT Vice-President Professor Tabassome Simon from Paris will give the keynote EACPT lecture on the application of pharmacogenetic testing to cardiovascular therapeutics.

Cathedral and Lake Geneva fountain (jet d'eau)

The EACPT is developing the programme for its next biennial congress, to be held in beautiful Geneva, 28th - 31st August in 2013. Key themes at the congress will range from bedside pharmacology for special patient groups to pharmacology & toxicology, and pharmacology and society. Specific topics will include advances in personalised diagnostics to improve the safety and effectiveness of medicines, updates on new biological approaches to ocular disease, therapeutics of cardiovascular, cancer and inflammatory disease, clinical trial design and regulation, and drug safety and toxicology.