- Roger Altounyan
Roger Edward Collingwood Altounyan (1922-1987) was a
Syria n-bornphysician andpharmacologist ofArmenia n and English descent who pioneered the use ofsodium cromoglycate as a remedy forasthma .Starting with khellin, a traditional Middle Eastern remedy for asthma, he discovered in 1965 that khellin's active ingredient was
sodium cromoglycate . This was later marketed asIntal byFisons Pharmaceuticals , which was taken over byRhone-Poulenc Rorer , who in turn were acquired intoAventis andsanofi-aventis . Prior to the RPR takeover, the R&D element of Fisons was sold to Astra, making it now part ofAstraZeneca .During his childhood, his family visited his British grandparents in the
Lake District where they met the writerArthur Ransome . Ransome named some of the primary characters in his famous book, "Swallows and Amazons ," after Altounyan and two of his three sisters. Ransome later came and stayed with the family inAleppo , bringing them a smalldinghy to sail ["The Life of Arthur Ransome" by Hugh Brogan] .References
* [http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/breath/breath_exhibit/Cures/transforming/VAs8.html National Institutes of Health: Breath Exhibit]
* [http://beehive.thisisexeter.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=4485&PageID=29649 Beehive. Describes the book by Rodney Dingle entitled "Roger, The life and distinguished achievements of Dr. Roger Altounyan".]
* Orr TS. "Roger Altounyan: the man and his work." Respir Med. 1989 May;83 Suppl A:3-6.
* Cohen SG. "Asthma among the famous. Roger E. C. Altounyan (1922-1987) British physician and pharmacologist." Allergy Asthma Proc. 1998 Sep-Oct;19(5):328-32.
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