Viagra: Pasteur's dictum rules! OK?
Date: Monday 10th August 2015
Time: 7pm
Venue: the Victorian Bar, Tron Theatre
Speaker: Simon Campbell
Drug discovery is a challenging art which requires scientific excellence, perseverance and some luck. In 1985, we started a research project seeking novel treatments for cardiovascular disease, but oh, were we in for a surprise! We designed new molecules that blocked our biological target but were bitterly disappointed when sildenafil (Viagra) showed no activity in clinical trials. Some suggested we abandon the compound, but we carried out a final study in student volunteers. Mild side effects were first reported but then one of the younger nurses shyly mentioned erections, which were a complete surprise. At almost the same time, new science was breaking around nitric oxide and we immediately rationalised how sildenafil (Viagra) could improve erectile function -- a real-life example of Pasteur’s Dictum that “chance favours the prepared mind". The rest is history. And there are no Viagra jokes left!
About the speaker:
Simon was President of the Royal Society of Chemistry from 2004 to 2006 and has led innovative research, discovering some of the world's best-selling prescription drugs. Amongst these are Cardura, used to treat prostate enlargement and high blood pressure; Norvasc, used to treat high blood pressure and angina; and the much-documented Viagra, the first oral treatment for male erectile dysfunction. He was visiting lecturer at Universidade de São Paulo and a medicinal chemist for Pfizer.
Simon was knighted in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to chemistry, having previously been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).