Brad Loncar

One of Scientific American's Best Staff Reads of 2023 A gripping business narrative and scientific thriller about what it takes to bring a wonder drug to market―and save countless lives. For Blood and Money tells the little-known story of how an upstart biotechnology company created a one-in-a-million cancer drug, and how members of the core team―denied their share of the profits―went and did it again. In this epic saga of money and science, veteran financial journalist Nathan Vardi explains how the invention of two of the biggest cancer drugs in history became (for their backers) two of the greatest Wall Street bets of all time. In the multibillion-dollar business of biotech, where pharmaceutical companies, the government, hedge funds, and venture capitalists have spent billions on funding, experimentation, and treatments, a single molecule can stop cancer in its tracks―and make the people who find that rare molecule astonishingly rich. For Blood and Money follows a small team at a biotech start-up in California, who have found one of these rare molecules. Their compound, known as a BTK inhibitor, seems to work on a vicious type of leukemia. When patients start rising from their hospice beds, the team knows they’re onto something big. What follows is a story of genius, pathos, and drama, in which vivid characters navigate a world of corporate intrigue and ambiguous morality. Vardi’s narrative immerses readers in the recent explosion of biotech start-ups. He describes the scientists, doctors, and investors who are risking everything to develop new, life-saving treatments, and introduces suffering patients for whom the stakes are life-or-death. A gripping nonfiction read, For Blood and Money illustrates why it’s so hard to bring new drugs to market, explains why they are so expensive, and examines how profit-driven venture capitalists are shaping the future of medicine.

"An inspiring and informative page-turner." –Walter Isaacson Longlisted for the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award The authoritative account of the race to produce the vaccines that are saving us all, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market Few were ready when a mysterious respiratory illness emerged in Wuhan, China in January 2020. Politicians, government officials, business leaders, and public-health professionals were unprepared for the most devastating pandemic in a century. Many of the world’s biggest drug and vaccine makers were slow to react or couldn’t muster an effective response. It was up to a small group of unlikely and untested scientists and executives to save civilization. A French businessman dismissed by many as a fabulist. A Turkish immigrant with little virus experience. A quirky Midwesterner obsessed with insect cells. A Boston scientist employing questionable techniques. A British scientist despised by his peers. Far from the limelight, each had spent years developing innovative vaccine approaches. Their work was met with skepticism and scorn. By 2020, these individuals had little proof of progress. Yet they and their colleagues wanted to be the ones to stop the virus holding the world hostage. They scrambled to turn their life’s work into life-saving vaccines in a matter of months, each gunning to make the big breakthrough—and to beat each other for the glory that a vaccine guaranteed. A #1 New York Times bestselling author and award-winning Wall Street Journal investigative journalist lauded for his “bravura storytelling” (Gary Shteyngart) and “first-rate” reporting (The New York Times), Zuckerman takes us inside the top-secret laboratories, corporate clashes, and high-stakes government negotiations that led to effective shots. Deeply reported and endlessly gripping, this is a dazzling, blow-by-blow chronicle of the most consequential scientific breakthrough of our time. It’s a story of courage, genius, and heroism. It’s also a tale of heated rivalries, unbridled ambitions, crippling insecurities, and unexpected drama. A Shot to Save the World is the story of how science saved the world.

** Get info on bulk orders & how to get a free chapter at https://www.pharmagellan.com/books ** If you're a biotech executive, investor, deal maker, entrepreneur, or adviser—or aspire to be one—then you need to build and analyze forecasts and valuations of R&D-stage drugs. This book is for you. "Deserves a spot on the bookshelf of every biotech CFO." — Bruce Booth, Partner, Atlas Venture"A helpful and insightful resource for anyone who finds themselves staring at a blank Excel spreadsheet." — Adam Feuerstein, Senior Columnist, TheStreet.com"This is the book I wish I'd had when I started out." — Vin Milano, CEO, Idera Pharmaceuticals"Invaluable, rigorously detailed, and well validated." — John Sullivan, Director of Equity Research, Leerink PartnersThe Pharmagellan Guide to Biotech Forecasting and Valuation is a comprehensive, thoroughly referenced handbook to creating and interpreting financial models for early-stage assets and companies. Vetted benchmarks for key drivers of income, expenses, and valuation.Proprietary analyses by Pharmagellan's experienced consulting team.Over 150 current references from peer-reviewed research, industry white papers, and SEC filings.Whether you're making investment decisions, pitching to potential partners or funders, or assessing your own R&D program, this is the one-stop guide you need by your side. "A fantastic plain-English guide to building a valuation model for a biotech product or portfolio. If you’re trying to develop a reasonable view of the value of your program or your company—and a view that will appear reasonable to the folks across the table—this beautiful book breaks it down for you." — Michael Gilman, serial biotech CEO (Stromedix, Padlock Therapeutics)"Does an excellent job of defining the inputs that go into modeling, explains how they can be forecasted, and shows how it all ties together. I’d recommend it to anyone looking to better understand one of the most difficult sides of this business." — Brad Loncar, CEO, Loncar Investments"Clear, well-written, and very useful in our mission to better serve our patients." — Jim Geraghty, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Idera Pharmaceuticals"A great explanation of the inputs and assumptions for biotech models, and how to think about them. I highly recommend it, both to people who build the models and people like me who have to look at them." — Briggs Morrison, CEO, Syndax Pharmaceuticals