Professor Albertino Damasceno is announced as winner of the ISH Boehringer Ingelheim Developing World Award during the 2008 International Society of Hypertension (ISH) Biennial Scientific Meeting

Berlin, Germany, 18 June, 2008 – The ISH Boehringer Ingelheim Developing World Award has been presented to Professor Albertino Damasceno, currently Professor of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique.

Professor Damasceno was judged by the ISH Awards Committee to be the ideal candidate to receive the 2008 ISH Boehringer Ingelheim Developing World Award, presented for the fourth time during the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH 2008) in Berlin, Germany. The award recognises outstanding work in the field of hypertension in the developing world. It is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and carries a prize of €7,500 to be used for scientific research projects in the field of hypertension.

“The ISH is delighted to present this prestigious award to Professor Damasceno,” commented Professor Anthony Heagerty, University of Manchester, United Kingdom and President of the International Society of Hypertension. He continued, “He has contributed to the promotion of high quality research in the field of hypertension and related cardiovascular diseases in Africa, has provided invaluable contributions to the organisation of the 1st ISH Teaching Seminar held in Maputo, Mozambique, September 2006, and was involved, as a faculty member, in the 2nd Society Teaching Seminar in Douala, Cameroon March 2008. We would also like to thank our sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim for making this award possible and supporting vital work into cardiovascular disease in the developing world.”

All members of the ISH are eligible to apply for the award. Application particulars will be available on the ISH website shortly.

Notes to Editors
The International Society of Hypertension The International Society of Hypertension (ISH) was established in 1966 and now has an active membership of more than 750 doctors from more than 60 countries. The ISH organises major Biennial Scientific Meetings with up to 8,000 participants. It also sponsors smaller meetings, some of them jointly with the WHO.

Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 135 affiliates in 47 countries and 39,800 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2007, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 10.9 billion euro while spending one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.