IUPAC-Richter Prize in Medicinal Chemistry
The IUPAC-Richter Prize in Medicinal Chemistry was established by a
generous gift from the Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter, Ltd.
(Budapest, Hungary) to acknowledge the key role that medicinal chemistry
plays in improving human health. By establishing this prize jointly
with IUPAC, Richter wishes to contribute to the international recognition
of the role of research in medicinal chemistry, publicize the company's
commitment to medicinal chemistry research, and further appreciation
of IUPAC's activities.
The prize of USD 10 000 will be awarded to an internationally recognized
scientist, preferably a medicinal chemist, whose activities or published
accounts have made an outstanding contribution to the practice of medicinal
chemistry or to an outstanding example of new drug discovery. The prize
will be awarded biennially by a selection committee that will be appointed
by the Subcommittee on Medicinal
Chemistry and Drug Development of the IUPAC
Chemistry and Human Health Division. The first prize will be awarded
in 2006.
Gedeon Richter Ltd. is a major pharmaceutical company in Hungary and
one of the largest in the Central-Eastern European region. Founded in
1901, the company has more than 100 years' experience in pharmaceutical
manufacturing. The vertically integrated firm carries out research,
development, manufacture, and marketing of human finished drugs, active
substances, and intermediates. Gedeon Richter Ltd. is a regional multinational
company in Central Eastern Europe and the CIS, and has a growing presence
through its commercial subsidiaries in key EU countries, the USA and
Japan. Two thirds of its annual sales of 599 million USD in 2004 were
exported to 80 countries (Russia, USA, EU, Japan, etc.). Production
takes place at two sites in Hungary: Budapest and Dorog. The company
also has production facilities in Poland, Russia, Romania, Ukraine,
and India. The company manufactures about 100 kinds of pharmaceuticals
in more than 170 presentations. Among its products are original, generic,
and licensed preparations. The products cover numerous therapeutic areas,
with special emphasis on the production and development of drugs for
the central nervous system, as well as antiulcer agents, cardiovascular
and gastrointestinal preparations, and oral contraceptives. Research
into drugs of the central nervous system and development of generic
products are of primary importance. Based on its traditional skills
in steroid chemistry, the company is a significant player in the gynaecological
field worldwide.
<www.richter.hu>
<Prize announcement published in
Chem. Int.
Nov/Dec 2005>