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Harold Meckler discovered the fun and enjoyment of synthetic organic chemistry while conducting undergraduate research in the laboratory of Professor Wilkins Reeves at the University of Maryland, College Park. Upon graduation, he moved to the laboratories of Professor Joseph Tufariello at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he earned a Ph.D. in 1983. His thesis described the nitrone based syntheses of Anatoxin-a and Loline. Migrating 250 miles east to join the chemical development group of Sterling Winthrop (Rensselaer, New York), he worked on process modifications for the preparation of pentazocine (Talwin®). There, he examined the use of LiKOR (Schloesser) bases, amine boranes and modified sodium borohydride reducing agents for applications amenable to chemical production.
In 1984, he moved to the chemical development group of CIBA-Geigy, where he focused on the process development, pilot plant scale up and cGMP production of a wide variety of compounds: aromatase inhibitors, adenosine antagonists, 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors, LTB4 inhibitors and ACE inhibitors. In addition, his lab groups were responsible for the production support of Forhistal®, Ismelin®, Anafranil®, Anturane®, Lioresal® and Lopressor®. In conjunction with these cGMP production activities, he was part of the two person team that wrote the Validation Guidelines for Bulk Pharmaceutical Chemicals for the CIBA-Geigy Pharmaceuticals Division.
In 1994, he joined Telor Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals to build its organic chemistry department. There, he designed the research and cGMP production labs, developed and implemented the synthesis of ethacrynic acid. Working with the analytical, QC and formulations groups, he developed and validated the Xarano® production procedures. In 1995, he joined Albany Molecular Research to head up the chemical development and GMP production groups. Since then, he has assumed broader responsibility as vice president, science and technology. He has received multiple patents as well as over fifteen publications. | 