Roger Altounyan
Breathing research, from the patient’s experience to pharmacology
Roger Altounyan was a British physician and researcher of Armenian origin, born in Aleppo in 1922. He trained in medicine in Cambridge and London, then worked in his family’s hospital and British research laboratories.
His interest in asthma combined clinical experience with living with the condition himself. His work with colleagues was central to the development of sodium cromoglycate, a medicine used in the history of preventive asthma treatment. He also helped improve inhalation devices.
Altounyan continued seeing patients and connecting research with their needs. He died in 1987. His legacy brings together clinical observation, pharmacological investigation and practical device design.