The Society for Medicines Research believe that outstanding contributions, achievements and inventions in the world of drug discovery and development should be recognised and celebrated. To achieve this goal the SMR instigated its own symbol of recognition, the SMR Award for Drug Discovery. Recipients are individual scientists, or teams of scientists, duly acknowledged for their contribution by the scientific community. The multidisciplinary nature of the achievement is inherent in this award. With members from all disciplines of drug research, we are proud to recognise the successes of others in order to help the individuals and their host institution gain the reward and acclaim they deserve from within the pharmaceutical world. There are still very few prizes of this kind in the drug discovery area and we believe that the multidisciplinary nature of the SMR adds to the recognition status of this award, making it significantly different from those awards that recognise achievements within a single discipline. Until 2001, the Award recognised only those contributions emanating from within the UK. With increasing globalisation of R&D and the SMR increasing its popularity throughout the world by attracting international speakers at scientific meetings, and through the broadcasting of archive web-casts of its meetings, this UK-only position was believed to be unsustainable. Thus, beginning in 2003, the Award was made open to non-UK scientists.
 

The 2009 SMR award was made to Merck and Co for the discovery and development of JANUVIA™ (Sitagliptin Phosphate), the first Dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV) inhibitor to be brought to market for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. The SMR award was presented to Dr Emma Parmee from Merck by the SMR Chairman Dr Rob Williams at the SMR ‘Recent Disclosures of Clinical Candidates’ meeting held at the National Heart and Lung Institute on the 10th December. Dr Parmee and her group of six medicinal chemists initiated the DPP IV programme at Merck and made key contributions to the development of JANUVIA™. The improved efficacy and tolerability profile of JANUVIA™ mean that this drug represents a major advance in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Dr Parmee’s award lecture was supported by a series of talks from Astex, Pfizer and GSK describing the discovery of novel drugs targeting HSP-90, PDE5 and H1/H3, EP1 and progesterone receptors, respectively.

SMR Chairman Dr Robert Williams presents Dr Emma Parmee with the SMR Award in December 2009.

Past winners of the award:

• 1983 Mr Peter Doyle (Beecham) Augmentin 

• 1985 Dr David Jack (Glaxo) Salbutamol 

• 1987 Prof John Stenlake (University of Strathclyde) Atracurium

• 1989 Prof Sir James Black, in association with Dr Albert Crowther & Prof Robin Ganellin (ICI and SK&F) Beta-blockers and H2 antagonists

• 1991 Drs Dutta, Furr and Hutchinson (ICI) Zoladex

• 1993 Dr Ken Richardson (Pfizer) Fluconazole 

• 1995 Prof Pat Humphrey (Glaxo) Sumatriptan 

• 1997 Drs Duncan, Redshaw and Roberts (Roche) Saquinavir 

• 1999 Dr David Tupper, Mr Terence Hotten and Dr Nicholas Moore (Eli Lilly) Olanzapine 

• 2001 Dr Michael Cawthorne, Dr Stephen Smith, Dr Barrie Cantello, Mr Richard Hindley and Dr David Haigh (GlaxoSmithKline) Rosiglitazone (Avandia)

• 2003 Dr Juerg Zimmermann, Dr Elisabeth Buchdunger, Dr Ulrike Pfaar, Dr Peter Graf, Dr John Ford and Dr Renaud Capdeville (Novartis) Glivec (imatinib)

• 2006 Napoleone Ferrara (Genentech) Avastin (bevacizumab)

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