Making a Medicine: Past, Present, Future

By Stephen Maxwell Liggett

Making a Medicine is the latest book in the dynamic popular science genre. Taking medicines when you're ill is something we have all done, yet very few of us have any idea of how they are made and why they have been given to them. Most of us go to the doctor, get a prescription and take the medicine dispensed by the chemist. Some patients don't realise there is a choice or feel it would be rude to ask for something else. Doctors often feel under pressure to prescribe to meet the patient's expectations. Increasingly we are becoming more aware of the medicines we take. This may be a consequence of our exposure to medical breakthroughs in the media and an increased interest in science in general. Maybe it is more acceptable to question what we are told and are mindful of scandals or misleading information from the past. This isn't limited to patients, doctors have been victims of aggressive or even untrue marketing by pharmaceutical companies. Better access to the information needed to make an informed decision empowers us to take control of our healthcare. Making a Medicine explains how to weigh up the pros and cons of taking a medicine. In the course of this discussion, gripping concepts are revealed and medicines we will take in the future identified. New technologies such as CRISPR and living medicines are explained. The stories of heroes and heroines who would save millions of lives through dedication, vigilance and remaining steadfast in the face of pressure are chronicled. Triumph from despair is exemplified through charting how understanding diseases such as HIV enabled cures for leukaemia in the space of 30 years. The darker side of the pharmaceutical industry is reviewed and shocking cases of history repeating itself regardless of the human cost and our inability to control harmful agents such as thalidomide is examined. The history of drugs liable to abuse and the sophisticated methods organised crime has adopted to diversify their inventory is also analysed. The crimes against humanity that would lead to the establishment of the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki in protecting the rights of research participants is placed into the context of the research and development of medicines. The controversy enveloping the greatest single tool used in medical research and the lives saved since it's tainted discovery is examined and the 'owner' who never knew the cells responsible for her death would also live forever. The AuthorDr Stephen Maxwell Liggett qualified as a Pharmacist from Queen's University Belfast and returned there completing a PhD. He is internationally recognised in translating scientific research into viable pharmaceuticals. Winner of the TOPRA Futures Award in 2017 he focuses on cutting-edge research and consults on some of the most innovative products currently under development. He lectures internationally on Pharmaceutical Science and Biotechnology, being a subject matter expert in multiple aspects of the drug development process. An author of scientific research papers in pharmaceutical journals. His early-stage regulatory development strategy is featured in a case study compiled by the MHRA.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1549985159
• ISBN13: 9781549985157
• Release Date: October 2017
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"