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Ahmed Hegazy (also: Hegasy; Arabic أحمد حجازي, Aḥmad Ḥiǧāzī, born October 24, 1939, in Cairo; died February 5, 2021, in Leverkusen) was an Egyptian-German pharmacist. He conducted research in the Pharmaceutical Technology Department of
Otto Bayer Medal
for the solubilization of poorly soluble ingredients such as nimodipine. His galenic invention is still the basis for many modern formulations at Bayer AG (A. Ohm).
On September 9, 1980, Bayer patented a solid drug preparation containing nifedipine for Ahmed Hegazy and Klaus-Dieter Rämsch at the German Patent Office in Munich (No. DE3033919 and EP0047899). The surface area of 1–4 m2/g resulted in the best absorption effect and a release over up to 36h. Previously, nifedipine was administered as a soft 
In the 1990s ''Adalat'' replaced '' Aspirin'' as the Bayer Group's largest single product for two reasons: The expansion of the indication to include hypertension in 1985, and a once-a-day regimen due to the invention of the retard tablet. Both led to substantive increase in global sales. By 2001, turnover had risen to €975 mio. The rise of ''Adalat retard'' after 1990 is a paradigmatic case for the success of already established medication due to new forms of administration "even though the drug had already been on the market for a quarter of a century," writes a study by the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences on. Today, it is still one of Bayer's 15 most important pharmaceutical products. In a legal dispute between Bayer and Pfizer in the US in 1995, it was established that Pfizer's product Procardia XL was based on this patent (Patent No
US5264446
. Ahmed Hegazy was involved in ten other patents of the Bayer group.
Bayer
Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of busi ...
from 1966 to 1999, during which time he invented a new galenic formulation for the active components nifedipine and nimodipine. By blocking calcium channels, the substance has a relaxing effect on vascular muscles and is therefore used for the treatment of hypertension
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
. In 1991, Hegazy received thOtto Bayer Medal
for the solubilization of poorly soluble ingredients such as nimodipine. His galenic invention is still the basis for many modern formulations at Bayer AG (A. Ohm).
Life
Ahmed Hegazy was born in Cairo in 1939 as the youngest of seven siblings. As shown in his high school diploma, he passed the matriculation examination in 1955 in the natural sciences branch as 296th out of 10,445 students. After studying pharmacy at Cairo University, he was sent to West Germany in 1961 by a United Arab Republic study mission on a scholarship for a Ph.D. at the Technical University of Braunschweig. In 1966, he received his doctorate supervised by Walther Awe with a thesis on "Contributions to the analytics of pantothenic acid and pantothenol." Since 1966, he worked at Bayer in Leverkusen, first as plant manager at the penicillin factory, then as laboratory manager in galenics and finally as head of department in the Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology for Liquid and Semi-Solid Pharmaceutical Forms. From 1977 onward he researched the administration of nifedipine, which brought the drug to world market maturity under the name ''Adalat retard''. In his spare time, he was a passionate botanist. He retired in 1999 and died in Leverkusen in 2021.Work
On September 9, 1980, Bayer patented a solid drug preparation containing nifedipine for Ahmed Hegazy and Klaus-Dieter Rämsch at the German Patent Office in Munich (No. DE3033919 and EP0047899). The surface area of 1–4 m2/g resulted in the best absorption effect and a release over up to 36h. Previously, nifedipine was administered as a soft gelatin
Gelatin or gelatine (from la, gelatus meaning "stiff" or "frozen") is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. It is brittle when dry and rubbery when moist. It may also ...
capsule. This was very light-sensitive and could not be manufactured by the company itself. The production of the capsules had to be outsourced to the company R.P. Scherer. In addition, the gelatin shell contained pork skins and could thus not be exported worldwide. The ''Adalat retard'' tablet, on the other hand, used iron oxide as light protection. The Bayer AG secured the patent in more than 40 countries.
In the 1990s ''Adalat'' replaced '' Aspirin'' as the Bayer Group's largest single product for two reasons: The expansion of the indication to include hypertension in 1985, and a once-a-day regimen due to the invention of the retard tablet. Both led to substantive increase in global sales. By 2001, turnover had risen to €975 mio. The rise of ''Adalat retard'' after 1990 is a paradigmatic case for the success of already established medication due to new forms of administration "even though the drug had already been on the market for a quarter of a century," writes a study by the Erfurt University of Applied Sciences on. Today, it is still one of Bayer's 15 most important pharmaceutical products. In a legal dispute between Bayer and Pfizer in the US in 1995, it was established that Pfizer's product Procardia XL was based on this patent (Patent NoUS5264446
. Ahmed Hegazy was involved in ten other patents of the Bayer group.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hegazy, Ahmed 1939 births 2021 deaths Bayer people Egyptian pharmacists Migration studies scholars Egyptian expatriates in Germany 20th-century pharmacists