Vagelos, P. Roy

Vagelos, P. (Pindaros) Roy

(1929– ) business executive, physician; born in Westfield, N.J. A Columbia-trained surgeon and biochemist, he was associated with the National Institutes of Health (1956–66) and the Washington University School of Medicine (1966–75) before joining Merck, Sharp & Dohme Research Labs, Rahway, New Jersey (president 1976–84). As president and CEO (1985) and chairman (1986) of Merck & Company, Inc., he was widely admired for attracting top research scientists who developed many major new drugs.