The Billion-Dollar Molecule

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The Billion-Dollar Molecule
The Billion Dollar Molecule-large.jpg
Paperback edition
AuthorBarry Werth
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Biotechnology
Genre Non-fiction
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publication date
February 16, 1994
Pages448 pp. (hardcover)
ISBN 0-671-51057-6

The Billion-Dollar Molecule is a book [1] by journalist Barry Werth about the founding and early research efforts of the American biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which was founded in 1989 by Joshua Boger and was among the first biotechnology companies to adopt an explicit strategy of rational drug design as opposed to techniques based on combinatorial chemistry.

This book is notable as an inside look at a biotechnology company, and the stresses and marketing pressures on funding research into drug design. This book is a mixture of finance and technology.

In February, 2014, Barry Werth published a follow-on book, The Antidote, [2] that looks at Vertex 20 years later after his original effort. [3]

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Barry Werth is an American author and journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, GQ, the Smithsonian, and the MIT Technology Review. He has also served as an instructor in journalism at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Boston University.

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References

  1. Barry Werth (February 16, 1994), The Billion-Dollar Molecule: The Quest for the Perfect Drug , Simon & Schuster, pp.  448, ISBN   0671510576
  2. Barry Werth (December 2014). The Antidote Inside the World of New Pharma. Simon & Schuster. p. 448. ISBN   9781451655674 . Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  3. "Barry Werth". barrywerth.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2023.