Étienne-Émile Baulieu

Étienne-Émile Baulieu
Baulieu in 2023
Born(1926-12-12)12 December 1926
Died30 May 2025(2025-05-30) (aged 98)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
Known forRU-486
DHEA
Neurosteroids
Scientific career
FieldsEndocrinology
InstitutionsINSERM

Étienne-Émile Baulieu (French: [etjɛn emil boljø]; 12 December 1926 – 30 May 2025) was a French biochemist and endocrinologist who was best known for his research in the field of steroid hormones and their role in reproduction and aging. He has been nicknamed the “father” of the abortion pill mainly as a result of his work on the abortion-inducing drug RU486 (Mifepristone). Baulieu also worked to determine if dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) was a prohormone and if it and other hormonal substitutions also increased longevity in humans.