Abelardo Aguilar

From WikiPilipinas: The Hip 'n Free Philippine Encyclopedia

Abelardo Aguilar is the Filipino doctor who co-created the drug Erythromycin (Ilosone®) from Iloilo soil.

In 1949, Filipino scientist Dr. Abelardo Aguilar sent his employer, Eli Lilly Co., samples of an antibiotic isolated from a soil that Aguilar collected in his home province of Iloilo, in central Philippines. Three years later, Eli Lilly sent a congratulatory letter to Aguilar promising to name the antibiotic “Ilosone” in honor of Iloilo province where the soil was originally collected. It was the first successful macrolide antibiotic introduced in the US in 1952. Its broad antimicrobial spectrum gave alternatives to patients showing allergic reactions to penicillin at that time.

The drug erythromycin, sold under the brand name Ilosone, has earned Eli Lilly billions of dollars, but neither Aguilar nor the Philippine government received any royalty. In 1993, Aguilar died after spending 40 years to be recognized and rewarded, but to no avail.