The biochemist P. Roy Vagelos is best known for leading Merck for 20 years, first as President of research and then later as CEO and Chairman of the Board. In his time at Merck, he revolutionized the way the company approached drug discovery, introduced the first statins to market, and organized the donation of ivermectin, the agent for control of river blindness, to any and all who need it for as long as it is needed.