BILLION DOLLAR MOLECULE: THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT DRUG
Author: Barry Werth
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0671510576
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (01 March, 1995)
Sales Rank: 46,931
Average Customer Rating: 4.71 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Put this on your list of biotech must reads.
I read this book years ago, yet recall most of its details. It tells the tale of Josh Boger who came out of Harvard to start Vertex Pharmaceuticals, taking you in a captivating fashion through every delicate step from inception to maturity of this company in its quest for the big drug score.Having spent almost 18 years in this industry as a scientist and entrepreneur myself I can testify to its accurate portrayl of what it is like to start a typical therapeutic biotech. This book provides unique incite into the world of start-up biotechs and the risks that come with them. It even manages to scuttle through the many interesting dynamics of biotech personalities where primadonna scientific wiz kids meet bottom line suits with calculators and some hybridize into a combination of the two.
If you are a potential investor, wish to work in this industry, or already do or even a patient wondering why your treatment/cure is not yet on market and want to understand more about the economics of biotechnology and drug discovery and development from the ground up, this is a must read. It will edify you and entertain you at the same time and you will end up rooting for Josh along the way.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Extraordinary look into the world of Big Pharma
Barry's Werth spent several years with the scientists and bio-venturers who formed Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The work paid off in an insightful and entertaining book. The Billion Dollar molecule is the holy grail of the researchers in today's pharmaceutical world, and this book shows how they go about attaining it. A remarkably easy book to read even if you don't know a protein from a Springsteen. The reader can find something valuable from all angles. Read it as a science book, a thriller, a business narrative, or a straight novel, you'll find delight here.
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Billion Dollar Molecule - One Company's Quest...
A thouroughly enjoyable read, Werth sheds light on the personaliteis and complexities of an amazing and multifaceted business. Throughout, the author uncovers the unseen deal-making, hand-wringing, and fist clenching that dominate the start of Vertex, a strucure-based paharmaceutical firm. I particularly enjoyed the background on the Boger-Schreiber collaboration and rivalry, and the ensuing rivalry in Vertex's own labs. Further, following the last few years of Vertex's ups and downs via the Internet has been thoroughly enjoyable.
Werth's style is easliy read, and his obvious unhindered access to Vertex and its people make the story enjoyable, suspenseful, and dramatic.
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