From PhRMA's press release for the 1989 Discoverers Award
Antidepressant by which mechanism? I don't like that term, as it tends to mean antidysphoric.
JACKSON B. HESTER, Ph.D.
Dr. Hester is honored for his development of Upjohn’s alprazolam (Xanax®) for panic attacks and triazolam (Halcion®) for insomnia. After joining Upjohn in 1960, Dr. Hester began to explore the relationship between pharmacological activity and chemical structure in several important classes of compounds, among them the benzodiazepines. These psychoactive drugs have become critical in thetreatment of anxiety and other mental disorders. Working with the benzodiazepine nucleus, Dr. Hester identified a structural addition tothe molecule which could both increase and modify the biologic effects of the compound. Having conceived this improvement, he then proceeded to implement it. The result was a new class of compounds designated triazolobenzodiazepines. Triazolam and alprazolam were developed from these compounds. Not content with his success, Dr. Hester synthesized an altered version of alprazolam which enhances the drug’s antidepressant effect. This is the basis of the Upjohn product candidate Deracyn...
Antidepressant by which mechanism? I don't like that term, as it tends to mean antidysphoric.
