Pedro Cuatrecasas ’58

Pedro died March 19, 2025, in La Jolla, Calif. He was 88. 

He came to Princeton from Bensenville High School, where he participated in basketball, track, and student government. After graduating from Princeton with honors, Pedro earned a medical degree from Washington University, and he began a stellar career with several biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. During this period, he held adjunct professorship appointments at several universities. 

Most people wouldn’t know Pedro, yet it would be hard to pick a person at random who hasn’t somehow benefited from his tremendous body of work. The researcher participated in the development of some 40 drugs, some of them well-known, such as acyclovir for herpes; sumatriptan for migraines; and atorvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering molecule that became the best-selling drug in history. He was on the verge of becoming the third Spanish Nobel Prize winner in science when he died. 

Pedro was predeceased by his wife, Carol, and his brother, Gil, a famous art collector in Spain. The class extends its deepest sympathy to his remaining family.