Drug Truths: Dispelling the Myths About Pharma R & D
This book answers the questions about the process and costs of pharmaceutical R & D in a compelling narrative focused on the discovery and development of important new medicines. It gives an insider's account of the pharmaceutical industry drug discovery process, the very real costs of misperceptions about the industry, the high stakes--both economic and scientific--of developing drugs, the triumphs that come when new compounds reach the market and save lives, and the despair that follows when new compounds fail. In the book, John LaMattina, former president of Pfizer Global Research and Development, weaves themes critical to a vital drug discovery environment in the context. This is a story that Dr. LaMattina is uniquely qualified to tell.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I A MATTER OF THE HEART 1
CHAPTER 1 CHOLESTEROL DRUGS ARE UNNECESSARY 3
CHAPTER 2 INDUSTRY IS MORE INTERESTED IN "ME-TOO" DRUGS THAN IN INNOVATION 13
CHAPTER 3 IT TAKES INDUSTRY TOO LONG TO DISCOVER NEW DRUGS 23
PART II THE ROLE OF PHARMACEUTICAL R&D IN HEALTH CARE 39
CHAPTER 4 DRUGS ARE DISCOVERED BY ACADEMIA 41
CHAPTER 5 NEW MEDICINES ADD COSTS BUT LITTLE BENEFIT 50
CHAPTER 6 BIG PHARMA HAS FAILED AND SHOULD LEARN FROM BIOTECH SUCCESS 59
PART III THE PROFIT MOTIVE 69
CHAPTER 7 THE INDUSTRY INVENTS DISEASES 71
CHAPTER 8 NEW DRUGS ARE LESS SAFE THAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINES 79
CHAPTER 9 INDUSTRY SPENDS MORE ON ADVERTISING THAN ON R&D 91
CHAPTER 10 INDUSTRY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT DISEASES OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD 100
PART IV THE FUTURE 109
CHAPTER 11 BIG PHARMA'S DAY HAS PASSED 111
CHAPTER 12 FINAL REFLECTIONS 122
