Race for a Remedy: The Science and Scientists Behind the Next Life-Saving Medicine

How does a mere molecule--a chemical structure--become a drug? And, how do we know that it 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 Race for a Remedy, internationally renowned expert in cancer treatment and drug development Makhdum Ahmed, MD, takes readers behind the scenes of the fascinating and intense world of cancer drug development.

Whether it’s a small molecule, a versatile monoclonal antibody, or the fancy, poster child of cutting-edge cell therapy, modern drugs are built upon a centuries-old solid foundation set by the pioneers of medicine and immunology. This revealing book also explores the struggles for current-day pharmaceutical and biotech industries to overtake competitors and make sure their molecule reaches the finish line first. For leading cancer drug developers, that means achieving the ultimate goal: creating the next live-saving cancer medicine.

Readers will also find answers to common questions on drugs, such as:

• How long does it usually take for a drug to come to market?
• When can we expect a cure for cancers like leukemia and lymphoma?
• Are experimental medicines unsafe?
• Given my illness (or that of my loved one), should I join a clinical trial and what are the odds it will help?

A leading medical expert on the frontlines of drug creation, Dr. Ahmed offers basic pharmacological insights, revolutionary science, and the gripping arc of new drug development. Race for a Remedy will change the way readers think about medicine.

Makhdum Ahmed, MD, PhD is an award-winning physician-scientist and a drug-development leader in the global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. He was director of the Cancer Moonshots Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a cutting-edge program with a comprehensive action plan to dramatically reduce suffering and death from major cancers. Dr. Ahmed is published widely in the scientific literature and focuses on identifying new treatments for aggressive cancers. His research has led to multiple patents and has been published in prestigious journals, including Science, Blood, and the British Journal of Hematology, among others. Winner of the Australian Leadership Award and the Global Health Corps Fellowship for outstanding leadership and commitment to equitable change in health care, he was also honored by former president George W. Bush at the 17th anniversary event of President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Ahmed lives in Boston.