Akira Endo was a Japanese biochemist who, while researching antibacterial compounds at the pharmaceutical company Sankyo, systematically screened thousands of fungal cultures for substances that block cholesterol synthesis in the body. In 1973 he isolated compactin (mevastatin) from the mold Penicillium citrinum, the first statin, a class of drugs that lowers blood cholesterol and is credited with helping prevent large numbers of heart attacks worldwide; statins are sometimes described, alongside penicillin, as among the most consequential drug discoveries in medicine.
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Akira Endo
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Who discovered the first statin?
Akira Endo isolated compactin, the first statin, from the mold Penicillium citrinum in 1973.
Akira Endo was a Japanese biochemist researching antibacterial compounds at the pharmaceutical company Sankyo. He systematically screened thousands of fungal cultures for substances that block cholesterol synthesis in the body. In 1973 he isolated compactin (mevastatin) from the mold Penicillium citrinum, the first statin. Statins lower blood cholesterol and are credited with helping prevent large numbers of heart attacks worldwide.
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1. Akira Endo (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia- Career at Sankyo; 1973 isolation of compactin; Legacy
In Group: Hormone, Vitamin and Drug Discoverers, Introduction, sentence 1
Akira Endo (遠藤 章, Endō Akira; 14 November 1933-5 June 2024) was a Japanese biochemist whose research into the relationship between fungi and cholesterol biosynthesis led to the development of statin drugs, which are some of the best-selling pharmaceuticals in history.
View the Source Wikipedia: Statin
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