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Books : Magic Cancer Bullet: How a Tiny Orange Pill May Rewrite Medical HistoryIn association with Amazon.com Amazon.com's Price: $24.95 Prices subject to change.Availability: Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 616.994061 EAN: 9780060010300 ISBN: 0060010304 Label: Collins Business Manufacturer: Collins Business Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 288 Publication Date: 2003-06 Publisher: Collins Business Release Date: June 03, 2003 Studio: Collins Business Sales Rank: 549064 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: When the first results from patient trials appeared on Dr. Daniel Vasella's desk in April 1999, the chairman and CEO of Novartis sensed that an important chapter of medical history was about to be rewritten. The results indicated that Gleevec, the tiny orange capsule -- the development of which he had spearheaded -- was working wonders to arrest a life-threatening form of blood cancer. Here, for the first time, Dr. Vasella recounts the step-by-step challenges of bringing this revolutionary medicine to market and producing it in large enough quantities to make a difference in the lives of patients and their families everywhere in the world. The leaders of major pharmaceutical companies rarely speak out so candidly and comprehensively about their businesses, but in this unique, groundbreaking book Dr. Vasella takes us behind the scenes and reveals the enormous pressures, the heavy costs, and the high risks involved in betting heavily on a drug like Gleevec -- regardedby many as the most exciting cancer breakthroughdiscovery yet -- while staying focused on the ultimate goal of saving lives. In this clear and exciting account, Dr. Vasella explains why Gleevec is nothing less than a scientific breakthrough, one that medical experts believe already is revolutionizing cancer therapy. For decades the standard way to combat cancer has been to remove it surgically and/or to use toxic drugs or radiation to destroy cancer cells. But these techniques also attack normal tissues and frequently leave patients overwhelmingly weak. Side effects can be so severe that patients even die from therapy. In contrast, Gleevec is the first "designer drug" for cancer therapy, specifically targeting a cancer-producing molecule and "fixing" the malfunction, leaving healthy cells intact. It is hoped that Gleevec will be a paradigm for other molecularly targeted drugs that will work on cancers with larger patient populations, and the implications of this are enormous. Magic Cancer Bullet is the first authoritative account of how Gleevec was developed and produced; of how on May 10, 2001 it won the swiftest passage from the Food and Drug Administration ever for a cancer drug; of how, even now, it is changing the lives and outlooks of patients everywhere, bringing hope in bleak and dire circumstances. From his unique vantage point as the man who guided this lifesaving "magic cancer bullet" from the laboratory to the pharmacy, Dr. Daniel Vasella gives us an insider's account of the scientists, the Novartis executives, and the Gleevec patients on this remarkable journey and he shows why the story of Gleevec is an intriguing part of the search for a cure to the scourge of cancer, one of the greatest human afflictions of our time. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Biased BookWhile this was a very interesting "inside view" of the pharmaceutical industry, the author (or ghost writer?) tries too hard to sound humanitarian, and ends up sounding rather fake (or as if he were going for a medical school interview). A lot of the book ends up being a justification of the marketing and sales of the drug, and ends up sounding heavy-handed. Also, the reader must be aware that this book does not tell the entire story of Gleevec - just search for it on the NY Times, and the patients ... Read More Rating:  - Need Some Balance HereThe Magic Cancer Bullet is somewhat of a whitewash and has very little balance. If this is how the drug is being marketed to physicians, it is no wonder that I have experienced what I have. Specifically, there ARE indeed toxicities and side effects with this drug - and I should know because I have CML and have been treated with Gleevec. The horrid thing is that there are patients like me who are not monitored properly at all. My first hematologist was so blase about this ... Read More Rating: - Rent it. Nice readingThe issue is about cancer patients, their pain and a miracle drug. The book sails through story of development of "Gleevec" pill. This medicine cured people with specific kind of cancer and saved lives. It shows that a great deal of effort required over a sustained period of time from individual contributors that brought such a revolutionary medicine. Rating:  - The Inside StoryThis is an excellent account of the way things really happen. The media sometimes beats the political drum so loudly about the pharmaceutical industry being an evil empire that the other side of the story is never heard. Here is an inside look from the perspective of dedicated scientists, committed business executives, and the people they serve. If you want to base your opinions on all aspects of the issue, this is required reading. Rating: - This book will offer you an inside view....As an employee within the pharmaceutical industry, this book will offer the reader an inside view of how a product goes from the research phase to finally, the consumer. As a father to a child with cancer, this book offers hope that someday a cure will be developed to eliminate cancer. A must read! Browse for similar items by category:
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