Derek Lowe, an Arkansan by birth, got his BA from Hendrix College and his PhD in organic chemistry from Duke before spending time in Germany on a Humboldt Fellowship on his post-doc. He's worked for several major pharmaceutical companies since 1989 on drug discovery projects against schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, diabetes, osteoporosis and other diseases.
To contact Derek email him directly: derekb.lowe@gmail.com
Twitter: Dereklowe
Taking on questions from all comers about the drug industry, here I am over at Reddit's "Ask Me Anything" section. Have a look if you like - the questions vary greatly, is all I'll say. . .
How much unutilized and underutilized IP is held by your average large pharmaceutical company? It goes without saying that any discovery that seems likely to provide a significant return on investment will be pushed forward. But what about discoveries that fall just short in risk/cost analysis? Do they all sit languishing in locked file cabinets somewhere, or do pharmaceutical companies make an effort to sell off or publish information that might be worth something to someone else?
11. John Shaffer on March 12, 2011 12:10 PM writes...
I thought I'd post this here too. GSK kept one TKI inhibitor and kicked XL184 to the curb. Then a positive study on XL184 in prostate Ca came out and EXEL did a secondary to fund P3 studies underwritten by GS. So what do you think?
1. Anon anon anon on March 10, 2011 10:31 AM writes...
Looks like people want the recreational-drug-and-conspiracy-theory combo platter. Oh, and to ask (again) what you studied.
Thanks for doing this! I think you gave people some food for thought.
Permalink to Comment2. coprolite on March 10, 2011 10:36 AM writes...
Seems like you've made a friend in BongRoss.
Permalink to Comment3. Anonymous on March 10, 2011 11:29 AM writes...
Because I don't have a reddit account...
How much unutilized and underutilized IP is held by your average large pharmaceutical company? It goes without saying that any discovery that seems likely to provide a significant return on investment will be pushed forward. But what about discoveries that fall just short in risk/cost analysis? Do they all sit languishing in locked file cabinets somewhere, or do pharmaceutical companies make an effort to sell off or publish information that might be worth something to someone else?
Permalink to Comment4. RKN on March 10, 2011 12:49 PM writes...
Good grief, that was a tremendous volume of pro bono feedback from you. My question for you is: "How much sleep do you get on average night!"
Permalink to Comment5. Derek Lowe on March 10, 2011 12:52 PM writes...
Fortunately, I type really, really quickly. . .
Permalink to Comment6. Bunsen Honeydew on March 10, 2011 2:05 PM writes...
Some bozo on there is saying that a bone marrow transplant is a cure for HIV!!! WTF??!!
Permalink to Comment7. Anonymous on March 10, 2011 2:59 PM writes...
the bozo is referring to the single case
http://www.aidsmap.com/Stem-cell-transplant-has-cured-HIV-infection-in-Berlin-patient-say-doctors/page/1577949/
Permalink to Comment8. Bunsen Honeydew on March 10, 2011 3:40 PM writes...
How did I miss that in the news? That's pretty cool but certainly not an all out cure.
Permalink to Comment9. Anon on March 10, 2011 10:49 PM writes...
Thanks for doing the AMA.
As someone new to your blog - and recommended place to start catching up? I can't find a list of most popular posts, etc
Permalink to Comment10. coprolite on March 11, 2011 8:05 AM writes...
9.---Start at Things I Will Not Work With and go from there.
Permalink to Comment11. John Shaffer on March 12, 2011 12:10 PM writes...
I thought I'd post this here too. GSK kept one TKI inhibitor and kicked XL184 to the curb. Then a positive study on XL184 in prostate Ca came out and EXEL did a secondary to fund P3 studies underwritten by GS. So what do you think?
Permalink to Comment