Oct 30 2017
Biogen and Ionis have been awarded the prestigious 2017 Prix Galien USA Award for Best Biotechnology Product for SPINRAZA® (nusinersen). The Prix Galien USA Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in scientific innovation that improves the state of human health. The award was presented at a ceremony in New York City on October 26, 2017.
“We are humbled to be recognized by the Galien Foundation with Ionis for SPINRAZA, the first and only therapy to treat the devastating condition of spinal muscular atrophy,” said Michel Vounatsos, chief executive officer at Biogen. “SPINRAZA’s profound clinical impact is certainly the most rewarding outcome for all of us involved, and I want to thank our Biogen colleagues around the world for their passion and commitment to making a difference in this area of medical need.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved SPINRAZA on December 23, 2016 under priority review for the treatment of SMA in pediatric and adult patients. SMA is a rare disease and leading genetic cause of death in infants marked by progressive, debilitating muscle weakness taking away a person’s ability to walk, eat and ultimately breathe. SPINRAZA is an approved therapy for the treatment of SMA.