The Antidote: Inside the World of New Pharma

Werth returns to Vertex, the molecular pharmaceutical start-up he first profiled in The Billion Dollar Molecule. Founded by Joshua Boger, a Merck Pharmaceutical researcher disgusted by big-business, profit-first research policies, Vertex was created to follow a different paradigm: patient-centered drug development. This book is a description of the more than 20 years of endless fundraising, deal-making, and back-breaking research behind the 2011 introduction of Vertex's first successful drug, a hepatitis C treatment. It combines a fascinating look at the exploration and regulatory pitfalls of drug development with the sad tale of the company's evolution into a business a lot like the pharmaceutical giants its founding researchers originally rejected. The scientific explanations are clear, accurate, and jargon-free, a rare combination in a popular science book. Sean Pratt's excellent reading makes the material highly accessible even to a casual listener.