The Abbott team, Dale J. Kempf, Ph.D., Daniel W. Norbeck, Ph.D., and Hing L. Sham, Ph.D., will be honored Sept. 7 at the American Chemical Society's 226th national meeting in New York City, along with chemists from Merck Research Laboratories, Pfizer Inc, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
"The broad range of invaluable products that our 2003 Heroes of Chemistry have developed and commercialized has dramatically advanced the health, well-being and lifestyles of children around the world," said ACS President Elsa Reichmanis, Ph.D. "The chemical advances made by the honorees serve as testimonials to the valuable role chemists and chemical engineers play in improving lives. It is with pride that the ACS recognizes them as Heroes of Chemistry."
Kaletra, which received simultaneous adult and pediatric approvals, is the first HIV protease inhibitor to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for use in children as young as six months old. Protease is an enzyme that HIV uses in the final stages of its reproduction process. The drug has stopped progression of the virus and strengthened the immune systems of HIV-infected children, many of whom have not responded to other antiretroviral therapy.
The Heroes of Chemistry program will be held in conjunction with a celebration for the 80th anniversary of Chemical & Engineering News, the society's newsmagazine. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., director of the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University, will be the keynote speaker at the joint event. Carson has gained worldwide recognition as the principal surgeon in the separation of the conjoined Binder twins in Germany and, most recently,
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Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
22-Aug-2003