Historic reflection on steroids: Lederle and personal aspects

Steroid research at Lederle was initiated in 1946 and continued until about 1971. The areas of research interest involved primarily a study of delta 5,7-steroids, provitamin D3 variants, dehydroepiandrosterone variants, steroidal ketals, corticoids, and steroid conjugates. One of the principal goals was to develop novel antiinflammatory steroids for the treatment of, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis. A rational design led to the development of 16 alpha-hydroxycorticoids, culminating in the synthesis and therapeutic use of triamcinolone and related compounds.