Three scientists share the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel committee announced here on Monday.
The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice "for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus."
"For the first time in history, the Hepatitis C virus can now be cured. The 2020 Medicine Laureates' discoveries revealed the cause of the remaining cases of chronic hepatitis and made possible blood tests and new medicines that have saved millions of lives," the committee said.
Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee and the Nobel Assembly, told a press conference that he was able to reach two of the three laureates, and when they were informed of the news, they were "extremely surprised, happy, and almost speechless."
According to the Nobel Foundation earlier, this year's prize is 10 million Swedish krona (about 1.12 million U.S. dollars), which will be equally shared among the three laureates.
