Percy Julian advances cortisone synthesis from soybeans

In 1949 Percy Julian developed an improved large-scale process for producing cortisone from soybean sterols, dramatically reducing the cost of the drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. His 1948 synthesis of Reichstein's Substance S remains the most widely used route to hydrocortisone production. Julian held over 130 chemical patents and revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry's ability to synthesize steroids affordably.