Obituaries

Mendham Man Who Created Pill Form Medicine Dies at 84

John Saenger converted liquid Benadryl into a tablet; served in Army Reserves during Korean conflict.

The man who invented a critical component of modern medicine died at the age of 84, leaving an indelible mark on the pharmaceutical industry as well as human health.

John Saenger, of Mendham, is credited with converting liquid medicine into tablet form, using Benadryl as the first successful product in the late 1950s, according to his obituary.

When the discovery was made, Saenger was the Senior Analyst on the Corporate Quality Control Staff at Warner-Chilcott Laboratories in Morris Plains. Saenger is also credited overseeing multiple quality control divisions in the earliest commercial pharmaceutical companies.

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The Brooklyn, New York native also served as an Army Reserve during the Korean conflict, receiving an honorable discharge from the medic division as a Master Sergeant.

Saenger and his late wife, Ruth, served as Eucharistic ministers for nearly 30 years at St. Joseph’s Church in Mendham. He is survived by his two daughters, a niece, a nephew, and many extended family members.

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Memorial donations can be made in Saenger’s name to The John V. Saenger RU Pharmacological Endowed Scholarship to Rutgers Foundation, 120 Albany Street, Suite 201, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. 


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