Landmarks of Human Thought I - Catalog - Page 36
Frank
B.
Colton
Oral
Contraceptives
National Inventors Hall of Fame®
U.S. Patent No. 2,691,028
Inducted in 1988
Born Mar. 03, 1923 - Died Nov. 25, 2003
F
rank B. Colton developed Enovid, the first
oral contraceptive. Born in Poland, Colton
immigrated to the United States in 1934.
He obtained his B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry
from Northwestern University in 1945 and 1946
and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in
1950.
Between 1949 and 1951 Colton was a research
fellow at the Mayo Foundation where he was
associated with the Nobel Laureate Edward C.
Kendall and helped develop an improved synthesis
of cortisone. Colton joined G.D. Searle and
Company in 1951 as a senior research chemist and
after a series of more progressively responsible
positions retired in 1986 as research adviser. Colton
has made many important contributions to
medicinal organic chemistry and particularly to
steroid chemistry.
His pioneering research on the relationship between
structure and biological activity, particularly of 19nor steroids, led to the development of Nilevar, the
first orally active anabolic agent which had a
distinct separation between protein building and
masculinizing properties. Of even greater
importance was his research which resulted in the
discovery of Enovid. The introduction of this
substance in 1960 for family planning purposes
ushered in the era of oral contraception.
Frank B. Colton was inducted into
the National Inventors Hall of Fame®
for this U.S. Patent No. 2,691,028.
Reference: National Inventors Hall of Fame (2024, 23. February)
Inductee: Frank B. Colton Invented Oral Contraceptives.
NIHF. https://www.invent.org/inductees/frank-b-colton
