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Previous Volume 353:2413-2414 December 1, 2005 Number 22 Next

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(Routledge Studies in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. 21.) By Toine Pieters. 264 pp., illustrated. New York, Routledge, 2005. $140. ISBN 0-415-34246-5.

In 1957, the discovery of an antiviral agent that could rival the bactericidal power of penicillin generated excitement in government, industry, the media, and the general public. Nearly 50 years later, this class of biologic agents collectively called interferons generates a $5 billion global drug market.

In Interferon: The Science and Selling of a Miracle Drug, Toine Pieters charts the culture of medical research in the mid-to-late 20th century, the blossoming of biotechnology, the politics of scientific research, the influence of the media, and the pressure of lobbies for patients.

What is particularly effective (and accurate) in Pieters's book is . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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