Mothers Little Helper dies aged 97

Leo Sternbach, the inventor Valium, now considered to be the first "blockbuster" drug, has died at his Chapel Hill, N.C., home. He was 97.

Valium was the USAs' most prescribed drug from 1969 to 1982. Nicknamed “Mother’s Little Helper” after the Rolling Stones song, it was three times more potent than its predecessor, Librium, another member of the class of tranquilizers invented by Sternbach.

"She goes running for the shelter
Of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way
Gets her through the busy day."


Although Sternbach formally retired in 1973, he kept an office at Roche and continued to work there almost daily until he was 95. "I like to keep up with what is going on," he explained, "not only in chemistry, but in the world." He did not use Valium. "My wife doesn't let me take it," he said recently, "I like Scotch."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9535355/