english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2007 > Drugs: the 2006 awards

Spotlight: Archives

Every month, the subjects in Prescrire’s Spotlight.

2007 : 1 | 30 | 60 | 90

Drugs: the 2006 awards

Every year, Prescrire recognises the new drugs that offer the greatest tangible improvements for patients.

The annual Drug Awards are granted by Prescrire’s editorial team, acting with complete independence, to new drugs or new indications presented in la revue Prescrire over the past year. All the Prescrire awards are conferred according to a standard procedure which is the subject of published rules (available on the website: www.prescrire.org). The Drug Awards aim to draw attention to drugs that offer a genuine therapeutic advance for specific indications. They are not just a simple ranking, an open competition or a vote by subscribers, but rely upon very stringent criteria. The number of award-winners in a given year may be very low, with no Pilule d'Or – the highest distinction – necessarily being awarded at all. There are three categories of award depending upon the degree of therapeutic benefit a drug offers: in ascending order these are "Noteworthy", "Honourable Mention" and the "Pilule d'Or". In 2006, Prescrire singled out one drug as Noteworthy, gave 3 an Honourable Mention and awarded one Pilule d'Or. Prescrire’s 2006 Drug Awards are published on www.prescrire.org.

©Prescrire February 2007

Source: "Le palmarès 2006 des médicaments" Rev Prescrire 2007 ; 27 (280) : 85.

- More articles in Prescrire's "Spotlight"...