Dr. George Njoroge, a scientific researcher based in Indiana, United States, has been inducted into the coveted scientific ‘Hall of Fame’, Njoroge was named the 2012 Hero of Chemistry, by the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society,

The honors come in the wake of the discovery and development of the Hepatitis C drug Victrelis by Njoroge and a team of scientists working at the global pharmaceutical firm, Merck Research Laboratories. The drug is the first oral Hepatitis C virus protease to be approved by the FDA, and has been approved in 43 countries, and is in the market in 23 of these countries.

Njoroge, an alumnus of the University of Nairobi, graduated with a first class honors in Organic Chemistry, and pursued further studies graduating with a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio in 1985. In 1988, Njoroge joined the Schering-Plough Corporation (SPRI), where as a researcher he focused on the design and synthesis of orally bio-available small molecules for treatment of viral diseases and cancer.

A prolific scholar, Njoroge has published extensively in professional journals on synthetic organic chemistry and drug design, to his credit he has authored and coauthored more than 120 scientific publications and been granted 78 US patents.  Further, Njoroge is a recipient of numerous awards including the meritorious Emerald Award for Professional Achievement in Industry and the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for emerging therapies.

The University congratulates Dr. Njoroge and his team on this achievement.