Race for a Remedy

How does a mere molecule—a chemical structure—become a drug? And, how do we know that is works safely? In a one-trillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry with high-stakes profits and perils, battles are raging every day to successfully bring a molecule to its birth: an FDA-approved medicine. In Medicine Wars, Dr. Makhdum Ahmed, an internationally renowned expert in cancer treatment and drug development, takes readers behind the scenes of the fascinating and sometimes cutthroat world of drug development.

Today, the average person takes multiple drugs or supplements daily, and for those living with chronic conditions, even 10 drugs per day are not uncommon. Yet most of us are oblivious to what drugs do to our body, or what our body does to the drugs we take. Medicine Wars reveals how drugs work, the chemistry of diseases, how decisions are made by pharmaceutical companies, how new drugs are created and introduced to patients, and the long and challenging road to FDA approval. Along the way, readers meet the ingenious minds behind recent ultra-successful drugs designed to combat aggressive cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and more. They will also find answers to common questions on drugs, such as:

• How long does it usually take for a drug to come to market?
• How are drug prices determined and why do they vary so drastically?
• When can we expect a cure for cancers like leukemia and lymphoma?
• Are experimental medicines unsafe?
• Can drugs slow aging and will humans ever be immortal?
• Given my illness (or that of my loved one), should I join a clinical trial and what are the odds it will help?

A top medical expert who has long been on the frontlines of drug creation, Dr. Ahmed also offers legitimate criticisms of the darker side of the drug industry as the rate of chronic disease increases, health insurance becomes even more convoluted, and our population continues to age. Exploring basic pharmacological insights, cutting-edge science, and the arc of new-drug development, Medicine Wars will change the way readers think about medicine.