ABSTRACT
The 0.75-mg levonorgestrel-containing 'morning after' contraceptive tablet Postinor was developed by Gedeon Richter Ltd., Hungary. The product was first launched in 1979 and registered later in approximately 40 countries. In 1994, the World Health Organization offered the company participation in a multinational clinical trial to prove the superiority of the product over existing (Yuzpe-type) emergency contraceptive products. Based on these data the company was able to redesign the 'morning after' type Postinor into an 'emergency' pill, Postinor-2. During further clinical trials a close working relationship was formed between the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University in Szeged, Hungary, and Gedeon Richter. The advantages and challenges of cooperation between public- and private-sector institutions are analyzed in the paper.
Subject(s)
Drug Industry , Norgestrel , Progesterone Congeners , Cooperative Behavior , Drug Industry/history , History, 20th Century , Humans , Hungary , Norgestrel/history , Progesterone Congeners/history , Schools, MedicalABSTRACT
In 1914 "Lipamin" and "Luteolipoid", two extracts of corpus luteum, were developed at the University Gynaecological Hospital in Erlangen, Bavaria. The process of their preparation, protected by patents, was exploited soon after that by Ciba, Basel, who named their products Agomensin and Sistomensin. The history of their development, their effects in animal experiments, as well as their early therapeutical application to women are reported. Special reference is made to the patent specifications and to the lectures held at meetings of the Bavarian Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics.
