Høst-Madsen Award 2007 - FIP

Høst-Madsen Award 2007
Beijing, China, 2 September 2007 - The Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the International
Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) has awarded FIP’s highest scientific honour, the Høst-Madsen Medal, to
Dr Patrick Couvreur (France). The medal is given every two years to an outstanding pharmaceutical
scientist, and is offered by the Danish Pharmaceutical Association to honour the memory of former FIP
President Dr Høst-Madsen.
Dr Couvreur qualified as a pharmacist in 1972 from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and
went on to complete a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the same institution. He held a post-doctoral
research position at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich (ETH) (Switzerland) during 1976-1977,
after which he returned to the Université Catholique de Louvain as an assistant professor, where in 1980
he became « Enseignement Supérieur ».
Since 1988, Dr Couvreur has been the Director of the Department of Physico-Chemistry, Pharmaceutical
Technology and Biopharmacy, a Multidisciplinary Research Center stemming from the University Paris-
Sud and from the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS). The Center is specialized in drug
delivery and targeting and fosters the work of 110 researchers. Since 1999 he has been the Director of
the Doctoral School “Therapeutic Innovation” which gathers together 300 PhD students from 87
different laboratories located in the South Parisian region.
Dr Couvreur’s research over the past 30-plus years has been focused on investigating the use of
nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions and prodrugs as concepts for new drug delivery systems and
targeting. In 1977 his work led to the breakthrough of using nanotechnologies for the intracellular
delivery of drugs, which in turn led to polyalkylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles, the first biodegradable
nanoparticles for human use.
The potential of this early work soon began to have vast implications on treatment methods for many of
the world’s most prominent diseases, such as diabetes and cancer. This concept has been used to
develop new anticancer and antiviral compounds from the “squalenization” of nucleosidic analogues
(PCT Patent, 2005). The latter is the ground breaking topic on which Dr Couvreur will deliver his Host
Madsen lecture during the FIP Congress.
Not only an exceptionally accomplished and influential scientist, Dr Couvreur is President of the
scientific board of the start-up company BIOALLIANCE. He is and has been an active contributor to
numerous Boards and Committees, including an Expert Member of the Board of Pharmaceutical
Sciences of FIP from 1996-2000. He is the author of 286 international peer review publications, 95
review articles and book chapters, 6 books, 44 patents, 49 PhD theses and a speaker at 163 conferences.

As a member of numerous prestigious academies, Dr Couvreur enjoys many accolades for his work,
however it has also been said that his charisma and vision are always pushing for new concepts, ideas
and interdisciplinary research.
FIP would like to extend sincere congratulations to Dr Couvreur for this most deserved honour.
The FIP Høst-Madsen Medal has been presented to Dr. Patrick Couvreur during the Opening Ceremony
of the FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Beijing, China.
All are invited to attend the Host Madsen lecture, to be delivered by Dr Couvreur, on
Monday, 3 September at 12h00 in Room 105 of the Jiuhua Resort, FIP Congress Venue.