The Little Book of Irish Science SFI Little Book of Irish Science | Page 50

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William C. Campbell
2015 saw the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
being jointly awarded to Donegal born William C.
Campbell. The Trinity College Dublin graduate was
awarded the prize for his work on avermectins, an
anti-parasitic drug used in domestic farm animals.
While working at Merck in the USA, Prof Campbell
developed Avermectin from a component of a strain of
bacteria identified by Chinese professor You Tu, with
whom he shares the prize. Avermectin was then further
refined to produce Ivermectin, a profound treatment
for ‘River Blindness’, and is named on the World Health
Organisation’s list of essential medicines required as a
staple of the modern health system.