Innovator Stories

Behind every new medicine is a story of researchers who wouldn’t give up. Their stories of discovery combine cutting edge science, curiosity, plain hard work and, sometimes, luck. Research scientists devote their careers to finding the needle in the haystack. A few succeed. But even those researchers who don’t, lay the foundation for future breakthroughs.

Read these innovator stories to learn how biopharmaceutical researchers beat the odds and discovered new medicines that changed the lives of millions of people around the world.

The Story of Coreg^® Eliot Ohlstein, Ph.D. Tian-Li Yue, Ph.D. Robert Ruffolo, Ph.D.	This pioneering treatment for patients with mild to severe heart failure was found to be so efficacious that independent monitors twice recommended that all trial subjects who had been receiving placebo in addition to then-conventional therapy be offered Coreg® instead... (read more)

The Story of Zyvox^® Steven J. Brickner, Ph.D. Douglas K. Hutchinson, Ph.D. Michael R. Barbachyn, Ph.D.	In the late 1990s the increasing virulence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the emergence of vancomycin-resistant strains had the public and medical community worried. For millions of people around the world, and their doctors, the discovery of the antibiotic Zyvox® (linezolid) came not a minute too soon… (read more)

The Story of Zetia^® Harry R. Davis, Jr., Ph.D. Margaret van Heek, Ph.D. Kevin B. Alton	The discovery of Zetia happened almost by chance. Researchers studying the same compound, but for different purposes in showing its effect on cholesterol, did not get the results they expected. Together, what they did discover was another drug that was 400 times more potent… (read more)

The Story of Prevnar Ronald J. Eby, Ph.D. Dace V. Madore, Ph.D. Velupillai Puvanesarajah, Ph.D.	Fifteen years in the making, and millions of doses of Prevnar later, the combined efforts of the three scientists and their teams have led to a great advance in child health.... (read more)

The Story of Gleevec Elisabeth Buchdunger, Ph.D. Juerg Zimmerman, Ph.D.	The story of Gleevec began over four decades ago, in 1960 when scientists at the University of Pennsylvania noticed chromosomal abnormalities in the blood of CML patients. It wasn't until the 1980s with the advent of genetic mapping that University of Chicago scientists determined that the chromosomal abnormality produces a cancer-causing kinase enzyme... (read more)

The Story of Mylotarg George Ellestad, Ph.D. Philip Hamann, Ph.D. Janis Upeslacis, Ph.D.	Nearly 19 years after a powerful anticancer substance was found in a soil sample from Texas, three scientists and their team of researchers finally turned it into a breakthrough treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Read how their years of research led to a “smart” cancer drug... (read more)

Discoverers Awards	Each year, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America present the Discoverers Award to scientists whose research and development of new medicines have greatly benefited humankind, and whose dedication and interest in improving the quality of life exemplify the best in the research industry... (read more)