Breakthrough: The Quest for Life-Changing Medicines

Meet the doctors, scientists and patients patients fighting the world's worst diseases.

What does it take to create a new medicine? The trajectory from laboratory to your neighbourhood pharmacy rarely runs smooth. Drug hunting demands radical leaps of imagination, the expertise of many... and a hefty dollop of luck. Unsurprisingly, 'eureka' moments come few and far between - but, when they do, they change lives.

Charting the discovery of eight revolutionary drugs, Dr William Pao cuts to the innovative heart of biomedical research and celebrates the tireless work of the scientists, doctors, patients and families fighting for better medical care. For each of these medicines, whether a potentially life-saving new treatment for cancer, or something as commonplace as paracetamol, there stands a cast of characters and a wealth of stories. Documenting these fascinating journeys, Breakthrough grants a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the medicines that improve - and very often save - our lives.

Foreword by Nobel Prize-Winner Harold Varmus

***

‘This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning how new therapeutics are created and should also appeal to the curious reader fascinated by innovation, popular science, biology and medicine.’ ―Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the Pulitzer Prize winner The Emperor of All Maladies
 

'It is a miracle that any drug ever gets approved. Pao uncovers years of research, flashes of insight and gruelling clinical trials to explain how some drugs succeed against all odds. This celebration of human ingenuity shines a light on the relentless resilience behind medical breakthroughs that have transformed patients’ lives. Utterly compelling.' ―Dame Kate Bingham, former chair of UK Vaccine Taskforce and author of The Long Shot
 

'William Pao’s book vividly brings to life the people involved in medical research and development to find new ways to advance clinical outcomes for patients. The perseverance; intuition; iterations required to engineer that "sweet spot" are narrated in a very readable way. Over my decades in Life Sciences I have seen with each new approach in medicine that it is a miracle that it reaches licensure. As John Davey, the US philosopher, said last century, "Every great advance in Science has issued from a new audacity of imagination". Our thanks should go to the wide variety of skilled people and to patients who join us in exploring better outcomes for the diseases we face' ―William 'Bill' Burns, Former CEO of Roche Pharma
 

‘Breakthrough reads like a mystery novel. It draws the reader in, first by describing the scientific discovery that provides key insight into a disease and then by weaving a tapestry of those who overcame almost unimaginable challenges to design and test the medicines we have today that cure, prevent, or vastly improve outcomes for those stricken with grievous illnesses… inspirational; a must read for anyone interested in or associated with drug discovery and development.’ ―Mace Rothenberg MD, President and executive director of Museum of Medicine and Biomedical discovery