Triumph of the Heart: The Story of Statins

by Jie Jack Li

Overview

Over 25 million people in the U.S. alone have benefited from statins—such drugs as Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, Pravachol, and other cholesterol-lowering medicines—in preventing stroke, heart attack, and other forms of coronary heart disease. But how did these remarkable, life-saving drugs come into being? In Triumph of the Heart, Dr. Jie Jack Li, a medicinal chemist and expert on drug discovery, tells for the first time the fascinating story of statins. Drawn from discussions with many scientists involved in the discovery and development of these drugs, the book illuminates the human side of science by revealing the role played by persistence, luck, and sudden insight that characterize major discoveries. For scientists in the drug industry, health care professionals, students of medicine, and all those intrigued by the basic human drive to explore and discover, Triumph of the Heart offers a compelling view of one of the most important drug discoveries of our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195323573
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/03/2009
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Jie Jack Li currently works at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. He was previously a medicinal chemist Parke-Davis Pharmaceuticals (which was bought in 2000 and closed in 2007 by Pfizer), the birth place of Lipitor. He is the author of Laughing Gas, Viagra, and Lipitor: The Human Stories behind the Drugs We Use (OUP 2006). He lives in Connecticut.

Books by same author The Art of Drug Synthesis Doug S. Johnson, Jie Jack Li, Eds., Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2007. Name Reactions for Functional Group Transformations, Jie Jack Li, Ed., Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2007. Modern Organic Synthesis in the Laboratory, A Collection of Standard Experimental Procedures, Jie Jack Li, Chris Limberakis, Derek A. Pflum, Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 2007. Laughing Gas, Viagra, and Lipitor, The Human Stories behind the Drugs We Use. Jie Jack Li, Oxford University Press: New York, NY, 2006. Contemporary Drug Synthesis Jie Jack Li, Douglas S. Johnson, Drago D. Sliskovic, Bruce D. Roth, Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2004; Chinese version, 2005. Name Reactions in Heterocyclic Chemistry, Jie Jack Li, Ed., Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, 2004. Name Reactions, A Collection of Detailed Reaction Mechanisms, Third and Expanded Edition, Jie Jack Li, Springer: Heidelberg, Germany, 2006. Palladium in Heterocyclic Chemistry, Jie Jack Li, Gordon W. Gribble, Tetrahedron Organic Chemistry Series, Vol. 20, 2000, Pergamon/Elsevier, Vol. 26, 2006.

Table of Contents

Prologue1. Cholesterol2. Genesis of Statins3. Merck's Triumph4. Discovery of Lipitor5. Development of Lipitor6. To Market, To Market7. Baycol, Crestor, and Drugs beyond Statins8. ReflectionsAppendixTrademarks of the DrugsBibliography and NotesIndex

Editorial Reviews

"In Triumph of the Heart, Jie Jack Li tells the fascinating story of statins, from the discovery and development of these drugs to their clinical application...Triumph of the Heart is recommended for those who are intrigued by the drive to explore and discover."—New England Journal of Medicine

"Easy to read, engaging and educational."—Paediatric Nursing

From the Publisher

Statins-cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor and Zocor-are often prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke if diet and lifestyle modification fail. The science and scientists behind statins are the main focus of this latest book by Li, a medicinal chemist at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Although the author aims to strike a balance between a scholarly and a popular approach, chemical terms and structures are introduced without definitions or a glossary, and little context is given for each drug mentioned. Li also discusses Viagra, Zoloft, antibiotics, and antifungals but writes that statins would become "the biggest moneymaker to date for the pharmaceutical industry: nearly $25 billion a year by 2005." Unfortunately, that statement, like a number of others, is unattributed. The book is well illustrated with images of scientists (many from postage stamps). Chapter references are mostly from scientific literature. A more readable book with a similar propharma focus, though with less attention to statins, is John L. LaMattina's Drug Truths: Dispelling the Myths About Pharma R&D. Li's book is suitable for large public libraries and academic libraries supporting chemistry or pharmacy programs. (Index not seen.)
—Martha E. Stone

Library Journal