David Jack (pharmacologist)

Sir David Jack (22 February 1924 – 8 November 2011^[2][3]) was a Scottish pharmacologist and medicinal chemist who specialised in the development of drugs for treating asthma. He was head of research and development at Glaxo from 1978 until 1987.

Sir David Jack CBE FRS FRSE
Born	(1924-02-22)22 February 1924 Markinch, Fife, Scotland
Died	8 November 2011(2011-11-08) (aged 87)
Citizenship	British
Alma mater	University of Glasgow Royal Technical College University of London
Known for	Drug discovery and development
Spouse	Lydia Downie Brown (1952–2016)
Awards	FRSE (1978) CBE (1982) Mullard Award (1991) FRS (1992)[1] Knight Bachelor (1993)
Scientific career
Fields	Pharmacology, Medicinal chemistry
Institutions	Allen & Hanburys, Glaxo
Doctoral advisor	Arnold Beckett

Early life and education

Jack was born the sixth and youngest child of a coal miner, in Markinch, Fife, Scotland.^[4] He attended Buckhaven High School before turning down a place at Edinburgh University to become an apprentice pharmacist. In 1944, having completed his apprenticeship, he began a BSc course in chemistry and pharmacy at the Royal Technical College, Glasgow. He won a number of undergraduate prizes and graduated with first class honours.^[4]

Career

He turned down an offer to study for a doctorate and instead worked as an assistant lecturer at the University of Glasgow.^[1][4]

In 1951 he joined the pharmaceutical company Glaxo Laboratories, moving to Smith Kline and French in 1953.^[4] In 1961 he became director of research at Allen and Hanburys, a subsidiary of Glaxo, and served as Glaxo's research and development director from 1978 until his official retirement in 1987.^[2]

Jack was known for heading a research team which developed the following drugs:

• Beclometasone in 1962
• Salbutamol or Albuterol in 1966,
• Ranitidine in 1977,
• Sumatriptan in 1984,
• Salmeterol or serevent in 1985,
• Ondansetron in 1987,
• and Fluticasone propionate in 1993.

Honours

Jack was knighted for services to the pharmaceutical industry in 1993.^[4]

In 1987, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath.^[5]

References

1. Breckenridge, S. Alasdair (2014). "Sir David Jack. 22 February 1924 -- 8 November 2011". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 60: 249–260. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2014.0006.
2. "Sir David Jack". The Daily Telegraph. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
3. "Sir David Jack". The Herald. 19 November 2011.
4. "Obituary, Sir David Jack". The Times. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
5. "Honorary Graduates 1989 to present". bath.ac.uk. University of Bath. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2012.

External links

• Last Word 25/11/2011 BBC Radio 4.
• Interviews with Sir David Jack CBE FRS FRSE. Oxford Brookes University Library Medical Sciences Video Archive
• David Jack on the History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group website