Bad Pharma

About Bad Pharma

Onward Pharmaceutical Labs (OPL), one of the world’s largest pharma companies, is completing the development of a new vaccine, RSVIX, to protect children from the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). OPL expects RSVIX to be their next blockbuster and hopes to capture a big chunk of the 7 Billion dollar U.S. market. The final clinical study before licensure is a head-to-head comparison with RESPIRWELL, the currently licensed vaccine produced by OPL’s rival, Beamer Labs.

Siddhartha Kumar, the OPL lead medical monitor assigned to the trial, discovers that RSVIX is not performing as planned, and notifies his superiors, recommending they stop the trial and offer a dose of RESPIRWELL to all the study participants to assure their protection. the company refuses to inoculate the trial population with the licensed vaccine, Sid questions the ethics behind this decision while continuing to advocate for the safety of the children. Sid’s insistence leads to his dismissal. He now is forced to advocate for his “patients” from the outside looking in with the help of some dear colleagues still working for the company.

Inspired by a true story, Bad Pharma delves into the ethical issues surrounding drug development, which often puts science and business at odds. Sometimes, the risk is just not worth the reward.

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Author Bio:
Pam Lazos is an environmental lawyer, freelance editor, and ghostwriter. She has authored several books, including the enviro-thriller Oil and Water, about oil spills and green technology; Six Sisters, a collection of novellas about family, dysfunction, and the ties that bind us; the children’s book Into the Land of the Loud, and Bad Pharma. She created the literary and environmental blog www.greenlifebluewater.earth; is a blogger for the Global Water Alliance (GWA) in Philadelphia, PA; and an issues editor for the International Journal of Water Equity and Justice (University of Pennsylvania). She practices laughter daily.

Abraham Johns, MD (pseudonym) is a board-certified physician who has had long careers in both academic medicine and pharmaceutical research and now serves as a clinical development consultant for biotech companies developing new drugs and vaccines. His pseudonym is a compilation of Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson, two presidents who did much to promote civil rights in this country. While not a writer by trade, Dr. Johns was passionate about co-authoring Bad Pharma, so that the ethical dilemmas he has witnessed might serve as an instrument of change for the greater good.