Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – MSD has won "two prestigious awards and a special mention in the 2026 edition of the Prix Galien, which this year stopped in Turin, where the final award ceremony was held in the prestigious Palazzo Madama." Established in France in 1970 to recognize the most important innovations in pharmacological research, the Prix Galien arrived in Italy in 1992 and is one of the most anticipated events in the scientific community.
The scientific committee of the Prix Galien Italia 2026 awarded the prize to the 21-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (V116), in the 'Infectious Diseases and Prevention' category – informs a note from MSD – with the following motivation: “V116 is innovative in that it offers targeted coverage of serotypes relevant in adults, including 8 not present in other available pneumococcal vaccines, maintaining a comparable immunogenicity, safety and tolerability profile.
Pediatric data also supported the extension of its use to children and adolescents already vaccinated and at increased risk of pneumococcal disease. This therefore represents an evolution in pneumococcal prevention because it not only broadens the vaccine's effectiveness but also realigns it with the residual disease burden in adults, offering a strategy capable of improving protection against pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease in the most vulnerable populations.
Pneumococcal diseases, MSD reminds us, are symptomatic infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. The term invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is used to indicate the most severe and invasive pneumococcal infections, such as bacteremia, sepsis, meningitis, and osteomyelitis, in which the bacterium can be isolated from normally sterile sites. Pneumococcal infections and IPD represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality from communicable diseases in Europe and globally, with the highest disease burden observed in children <2 years old, adults ≥65 years old, and individuals with comorbidities (cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, or pulmonary diseases).
"This prestigious recognition, which follows last year's special mention, officially confirms the value of our ongoing commitment to scientific research in the field of prevention. It is the culmination of our efforts to develop and market PCV21, the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine specifically designed for the immunological needs of adults and older adults. V116 is the result of the excellence of our research laboratories, created with the specific goal of offering targeted and specific protection against the most insidious pneumococcal infections for adults, starting with pneumonia. It is precisely discoveries and innovations of this magnitude that pave the way for active and healthy aging, concretely improving people's lives while ensuring the sustainability of our National Health Service," stated Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO of MSD Italia.
MSD's commitment to preventing viral diseases in the most vulnerable patients, such as transplant recipients, was recognized for letermovir, which received the award in the 'Real-World Evidence' category with the following citation: "Letermovir, the first antiviral indicated for the prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus infection and disease, introduced an innovative and targeted preventive approach with a specific mechanism of action, capable of reducing the risk of cross-resistance with drugs that act on different viral targets, with a non-myelotoxic profile, an important aspect in the transplant setting, and with simple clinical management. In prophylaxis, it enabled the transition from a pre-emptive strategy to effective primary prophylaxis. The available real-world evidence consolidates the clinical value of letermovir, confirming its efficacy, tolerability, and transferability of the benefit to real-world clinical practice."
Cytomegalovirus (CMV), MSD emphasizes, is a widespread virus: most adults worldwide have already been exposed to it. In healthy people, the infection usually causes no symptoms, and the virus remains "dormant" in the body for life. The situation is different for those undergoing transplants, when their immune defenses are weaker. In patients who already carry the virus and receive a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, CMV can reactivate. Those who have never encountered the virus and receive an organ from a donor who is a carrier are at risk of developing CMV disease after the transplant.
"Letermovir has made an important and innovative contribution to the care of high-risk CMV-seropositive adult patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation, helping prevent reactivation of the infection and CMV disease. The extension of reimbursement to high-risk kidney transplant recipients and the extension of the duration of therapy to 200 days in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients confirm the great value of letermovir in preventing infections during post-transplant clinical management," emphasized Simona Paratore, Executive Director Medical Affairs, MSD Italia. "We know how potentially serious CMV can be for people facing the delicate, high-risk post-transplant phase. This prestigious milestone further reinforces the importance of letermovir as the best prophylaxis solution for cytomegalovirus infection and disease, a fundamental ally in protecting those who have been given the opportunity for a new beginning."
This year, MSD reports, a special mention was given to belzutifan in the 'Rare Diseases' category with the following motivation: "Belzutifan is the first oral inhibitor of Hif-2α approved for the treatment of VHL disease. The drug "represents a major scientific and therapeutic breakthrough: Hif was in fact considered a 'non-druggable' target for years, until the development of molecules capable of selectively inhibiting its activity. Understanding the VHL/Hif pathway, recognized with the 2019 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to W.G. Kaelin Jr. for studies on the cellular mechanisms of response to hypoxia, has indirectly contributed to the development of a targeted therapy for a rare disease with no dedicated systemic options. In the pivotal Litespark-004 study, belzutifan demonstrated significant and durable antitumor activity in the renal, pancreatic, and CNS manifestations associated with VHL." The most recent follow-up data, presented at the ASCO 2026 congress, document approximately six years of clinical observation, confirming the long-term benefit. The treatment also offers the possibility of reducing the need for repeated surgical procedures and other local interventions, contributing to improved long-term clinical management of patients with VHL.
Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, or VHL, is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease caused by alterations in the VHL gene, which normally helps control key mechanisms of cell growth. When it malfunctions, it increases the risk of developing tumors and other lesions in various organs. "This special mention," said Luppi, "is a recognition that makes us very proud because it recognizes our research and confirms the role of innovation in addressing unmet health needs, such as those of people living with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. For us at MSD, innovation always has extraordinary value, even when it affects just a few people. In rare diseases, the number of patients should never determine the value or urgency of a healthcare response. Indeed, it is precisely where the needs are least visible and alternatives are few that scientific progress can make the greatest difference, as the case of VHL demonstrates."
Over the course of the history of the Prix Galien – the statement concludes – from 1992 to today, MSD has won this coveted award 18 times and received 6 special mentions: recognitions that confirm the value of its Research & Development, in which it invested almost 16 billion dollars in 2025 alone, allowing it to save and improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
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