Co-inventor of Pfizer’s commercial drug Zmax
Richard W. Korsmeyer, a co-inventor of Pfizer’s commercial drug Zmax, received two Purdue degrees in chemical engineering: a master’s degree and a PhD in 1980 and 1983, respectively. Korsmeyer started his career at BFGoodrich as a senior research and development engineer before joining Pfizer in 1986. Over the next 34 years, he played a crucial role in developing and commercializing numerous pharmaceutical technologies. One of Korsmeyer's notable contributions is his collaboration with a former Purdue Engineering professor, Nicholas Peppas, in devising the exponential equation (known as the Korsmeyer Equation) for quantifying controlled drug release from polymeric matrices. Published in 1983, this work is the most-cited paper ever published by the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. Among his achievements at Pfizer, Korsmeyer co-invented Zmax, a sustained-release product that delivers a full course of the antibiotic azithromycin orally in a single dose. Zmax has become one of the most prescribed medications in the U.S. Korsmeyer's expertise and impact extend beyond his inventions. He holds memberships in such organizations as the National Academy of Engineering and the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering. Korsmeyer also is a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. Purdue honored him with a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award in 2014.