Nariman Mehta
Who was Nariman Mehta?
Indian-American organic chemist and pharmacologist
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Nariman Mehta (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Nariman Bomanshaw Mehta (April 20, 1920 – August 22, 2014) was an Indian-born American organic chemist and pharmacologist. He is best known for creating and patenting bupropion, an antidepressant sold under the brand Wellbutrin and later as a smoking cessation aid called Zyban. Born in Mumbai, India, Mehta studied at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai before moving to the United States for advanced studies at the University of Kansas. His education set the stage for a career focused on developing organic compounds for pharmaceuticals.
Mehta worked at Burroughs Wellcome, a pharmaceutical company where he conducted research that led to bupropion's development. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Mehta synthesized this aminoketone compound. It was unique compared to existing antidepressants like tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors because it targeted dopamine and norepinephrine instead of serotonin, offering a different action mechanism and side-effect profile than the leading psychiatric drugs.
In 1985, bupropion was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for major depressive disorder, though it was temporarily withdrawn in 1986 due to reports of seizures at high doses. It returned in a modified form in 1989. The FDA later approved it in 1997 as a smoking cessation aid, under the name Zyban, making it one of the few compounds approved for two distinct medical uses with different therapeutic mechanisms.
Mehta became a naturalized American citizen during his career in the United States. He lived into his nineties and passed away on August 22, 2014, in Burlington. His work made a significant impact on treating depression and helping people quit smoking, with bupropion playing a role in both psychiatry and addiction medicine, highlighting the importance of his early chemical research.
Before Fame
Nariman Mehta was born in Mumbai on April 20, 1920, during the last years of British rule in India. He started his higher education at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, known for its strong focus on the sciences, before moving to the United States for further studies. He attended the University of Kansas, where he focused on organic chemistry and pharmacology.
The mid-20th century saw a lot of growth in synthetic organic chemistry. Pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions were trying to discover and develop new compounds with potential therapeutic uses. Mehta joined this field when understanding of psychiatric illness mechanisms was limited, and treatments for depression were scarce and often came with severe side effects. His education prepared him to make significant contributions to medicinal chemistry, a field aimed at designing molecules that target specific biological issues.
Key Achievements
- Designed, synthesized, and patented bupropion, marketed as Wellbutrin and Zyban
- Contributed to the development of one of the first dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors approved for clinical use
- His compound received dual FDA approvals for major depressive disorder (1985) and smoking cessation (1997)
- Conducted pharmaceutical research at Burroughs Wellcome that resulted in a globally used antidepressant
- Contributed to the chemical foundation of modern addiction pharmacotherapy through his synthesis work
Did You Know?
- 01.Bupropion, the compound Mehta synthesized, was the first antidepressant approved by the FDA that primarily acted on dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake rather than serotonin.
- 02.The drug Mehta invented was temporarily pulled from the US market in 1986 after seizure reports but was reformulated and successfully relaunched in 1989 as a sustained-release version.
- 03.Mehta's compound received a second distinct FDA approval in 1997 under the brand name Zyban, making it one of a small number of drugs approved for both a psychiatric condition and a substance-use-related indication.
- 04.Mehta completed his career primarily at Burroughs Wellcome, the Anglo-American pharmaceutical firm that also produced drugs such as acyclovir and AZT during the same era.
- 05.Mehta lived to the age of 94, long enough to witness bupropion become one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States across multiple decades.