Vogelos recounts his career at Merck

Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos recounted the high points of his professional life in a lecture to about 50 people last night. Vagelos, a University alum, served as the chief executive officer of Merck and Co. before coming to the University to head the trustees. He started out at Merck as a summer intern after graduating from Columbia University's School of Pharmaceuticals. Twenty-five years later, after research and teaching experience and years serving as a physician, he was invited to head Merck's drug discovery research program. "Research until then involved random screening of chemicals and animals," Vagelos said. "It was very inefficient." Vagelos instead directed the focus of the Merck program to analyzing enzymes. This new method of research led to the development of two drugs which significantly lower cholesterol. Merck's sales skyrocketed once the drugs were on the market. But Vagelos' success at Merck was not limited to financial matters. While he was at Merck, the company became more compassionate, he said. Merck developed a cure for river blindness, a disease affecting many Africans. Since none of the people in need of the medication could afford it, Merck decided to donate the drug for free. Vagelos said the company chose to act so generously because it felt a responsibility to those who cannot afford to take care of themselves. The charitable move also instilled pride in Merck employees. Others outside of the company appreciated the donation as well. One third-grade class in Iowa sent the company a check for $30.33 to help pay for the medication, Vagelos said. Vagelos added that other companies began to participate in humanitarian acts following the Merck donation. Those attending the lecture said they too were inspired by Merck's humanitarianism. "What I appreciated was how Vagelos talked about the company's response to people, and how the Merck Company donated the drugs to the people for free," said Belinda Huang, the associate director for Wharton undergraduate student affairs. "I thought he was a lively, interesting, and engaging speaker." Vagelos's lecture was the first in this year's Musser-Schoemaker lecture series. The program was founded in 1991, with the aim of allowing students to interact with high-profile speakers.

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