Krisana Kraisintu, a leading pharmaceutical researcher, has been named the medical scientist of the year for her globally renowned dedication to the development of antiretroviral and anti-malarial drugs, as well as herbal medicines which benefit not only Thais but also millions elsewhere.
The new award will be presented by the Medical Sciences Foundation and Department of Medical Sciences at their annual conference, which starts on Wednesday and runs until Friday.
Ms Krisana was recognised for working on the successful development of more than 100 modern and herbal drugs, which have greatly improved access to medicines in Thailand and other countries, said Dr Sathaporn Wongjaroen, chairman of the foundation.
She founded the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation's (GPO) research and development institute that has played a key role in researching and producing a generic version of many life-saving drugs, he said.
Among these numerous research projects was the development of a generic version of AZT (zidovudine), which is used in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, and the development of GPO-VIR, an inexpensive and effective antiretroviral drug regimen, said Dr Sathaporn.
Ms Krisana and the GPO's research and development institute have also invented five more antiretroviral drug regimens, which have helped bring the price of antiretroviral drugs down by as much as 20 times the price of imported drugs, he said.
"As a result, the more than 150,000 people living with HIV/Aids in Thailand are receiving proper treatments free of charge as these drugs are cheap enough to be included on the national list of essential medicines," he said.
Ms Krisana also has a key role in the construction of a pharmaceutical factory producing antiretroviral drugs and anti-malarial drugs in Africa and training staff for the factory, as well as hospitals and research institutes in 17 African countries, he said.
Millions of lives have been saved as a result of this contribution to the development of antiretroviral and antimalarial drugs in Africa, he said.
Ms Krisana and her research partners have also developed four regimens of herbal medicines for use in health promotion in rural areas, including in community-based rehabilitation schemes for drug addicts, he said.
