The Cell Game: Sam Waksal's Fast Money and False Promises--and the Fate of ImClone's Cancer Drug

Book Description

It began with a promising cancer drug, the brainchild of a gifted researcher, and grew into an insider trading scandal that ensnared one of America's most successful women. The story of ImClone Systems and its "miracle" cancer drug, Erbitux, is the quintessential business saga of the late 1990s. It's the story of big money and cutting-edgescience, celebrity, greed, and slipshod business practices; the story of biotech hype and hope and every kind of excess.

At the center of it all stands a single, enigmatic figure named Sam Waksal. A brilliant, mercurial, and desperate-to-be-liked entrepreneur, Waksal was addicted to the trappings of wealth and fame that accrued to a darling of the stock market and the overheated atmosphere of biotech IPOs. At the height of his stardom, Waksal hobnobbed with Martha Stewart in New York and Carl Icahn in the Hamptons, hosted parties at his fabulous art-filled loft, and was a fixture in the gossip columns. He promised that Erbitux would "change oncology," and would soon be making $1 billion a year.

But as Waksal partied late into the night, desperate cancer patients languished, waiting for his drug to come to market. When the FDA withheld approval of Erbitux, the charming scientist who had always stayed just one step ahead of bankruptcy panicked and desperately tried to cash in his stock before the bad news hit Wall Street.

Waksal is now in jail, the first of the Enron-era white-collar criminals to be sentenced. Yet his cancer drug has proved more durable than his evanescent profits. Erbitux remains promising, the leading example of a new way to fight cancer, and patients and investors hope it will be available soon.

Customer Reviews:

Compelling tale about greed and how the system works.......2004-04-19

This is about the Cancer Game, which might be seen as a part of the Cancer Industry, a kind of bizarre and ghoulish phenomenon of modern times that exists precisely because there is no cure for cancer. Indeed, Alex Prud'homme, who is a gifted researcher and prose stylist, whose work has appeared in such prestigious journals as The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, etc., might very well have called his book "The Cancer Game." I wonder why he didn't. Would such a title have offended those who play the game?

It is specifically about the rise and fall of one Sam Waksal, oldest son of Jewish emigrants and Holocaust survivors, a man of irresistible charm, fabulous energy, and great intelligence, a man driven to success and the high life, a man who had bounced around academia without much success until in the 1980s he saw an opportunity to become a player in the cancer game, and, along with his younger brother Harlan, founded ImClone Systems, Inc.

It is also about an anticancer drug called Erbitux, originally known as C225 because it was the 225th drug tested by its discoverers, John Mendelsohn and Gordon Sato in 1980. It showed promise because in tests it stopped the growth of tumors in mice.

And finally it is a story about how drugs get discovered, how they are developed, and especially how they get approved (or not) by the Food and Drug Administration. And of course it is about the Byzantine and incestuous relationship that exists between that August government agency and the massive pharmaceutical industry.

The curious thing about all this is that Imclone never turned a profit, Erbitux never came to market, and most of the people associated with Waksal and ImClone either made out like bandits or got stuck holding the bag. The drug itself, which works against cancer tumors, particularly colon cancer, by cutting off the blood supply to the tumors (an "antiangiogenesis" drug), was touted as a miracle that would save the lives of innumerable patients and make possibly billions of dollars for ImClone.

At least this was the hype delivered by Sam Waksal, and bought hook, line and sinker by pharma giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, and by desperate cancer patients as well as salivating Wall Street investors who jumped on the bandwagon as ImClone's stock rocketed skyward. Because of the promise of the drug, Waksal himself was able to live his dream life as a New York socialite, throwing lavish parties for celebs (including Martha Stewart while he dated her daughter), collecting fine art, popping open $600 bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild while secretly selling stock on the side, sending the proceeds overseas, buying expensive apartments and houses for himself, etc., etc.

But the cold hard facts of Erbitux, like those of almost any cancer drug one can name, are very far from the hype. As Prud'homme notes on pages 332-333, "these agents...[Erbitux and others like Avastin and Iressa] are remarkable scientific advances, [but] they still only benefit some 10 to 20 percent of patients, and they only extend patients' lives by a matter of months."

That's it. That's the bottom line. And yet these drugs are so valuable that the companies that end up selling them can make hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars.

Waksal apparently came to this understanding sometime during the early eighties. He realized first the simple fact that the way the cancer industry works is doctors have to prescribe something rather than nothing. Then he realized that living a few months longer can mean a lot to people. Therefore any FDA-approved cancer drug will automatically fill a need. What this means is that the PROMISE of a cancer drug, if cleverly promoted, will spark a rally in the shares of the company that owns the patent. If, like Sam Waksal, you own millions of those shares, you can get rich on mere promise alone.

Furthermore, should the drug have any real value at all, and be approved (or even look like it's going to be approved) by the FDA, you might be able to get some pharmaceutical giant like Bristol-Myers Squibb to front a whole lot of money on that promise since they are desperate to find a cancer drug to replace those that have gone generic.

This works because even drugs with very limited effectiveness are better than no drug at all. This is true for many patients, for many doctors, and is especially true for the big pharmaceutical companies.

Note that these drugs are valuable because the people who need them are typically people of relative means who can afford to pay large sums of money for them, either through their HMOs, their government, or their own funds. In contrast a drug that would prolong the life of poor people in third world countries would be of only marginal value to the big pharmaceutical companies.

I should also mention that Prud'homme spends some serious ink in this book on Waksal's long-time friend Martha Stewart and her troubles. Her personality, her empire, and the way she handles herself are vividly detailed. In fact, some readers might find her story the most interesting part of the book.

Reads like a novel, but it's a true story.......2004-02-22

I could hardly put this book down. Never mind the Martha Stewart trial, this is where the excitement and drama in the ImClone story lies.

Sam Waksal, a scientist and business developer with a checkered past, lives a celebrity lifestyle, hanging out with the rich and famous, owning several fancy houses, driving fast cars, and heading a firm that is working on a cancer drug so promising that people with no other hope of treatment are flinging themselves at ImClone, begging for a merciful dose of "Erbitux."

The drug apparently does reverse inoperable tumors in a few test patients who had no other hope of living. Now the race is on to fast-track the drug through the FDA approval process based on the glowing clinical trials. But the FDA reviewer is unaccountably unencouraging when meeting with one of ImClone's top scientists. What is wrong? Is Erbitux, instead of being approved , instead going have its application refused? Why! And what will this mean for the high-flying ImClone stock?

The book reads like the best thriller, and author Alex Prud'homme is adept at making you feel like the proverbial fly-on-the-wall during the action. If you are at all interested in what happened behind the Martha Stewart debacle, you must read this. It's fantastic.

Lively character study about Sam Waksal - needless tragedy.......2004-02-15

This book is a fine character study of an amazingly talented man whose endless need to gratify his own appetites and emotional needs led him to careless and even cruel behavior. There is no denying the great talent of Sam Waksal, but to this day he doesn't seem to understand that his talent and accomplishments do not provide a license to indulge himself at other's expense.

It is amazingly sad that all of this misery was so pointless because Erbitux has at last been approved. It almost certainly could have been approved earlier if the talented team at ImClone would have had a culture of discipline and getting things done and documented in ways that everyone knew the FDA required. If they had, all this pain and loss would never have occurred and Dr. Waksal would be a real hero instead of the one he only pretended to be.

Mr. Prud'homme writes with style and vitality. The book moves along well and has a great feel for keeping the story personal and emotionally accessible for the reader. We don't get overwhelmed with the scientific side of things, although it is always interesting to read about this emerging science and the wizards who are making it happen.

A GRIPPING YARN!!!!.......2004-01-28

This book is beautifully written and the story is powerfully, artfully told. Alex Prud'homme's eye for telling details and anecdotes brings to life all of the egos, greed, outsized appetites, and fat wallets that intersected in Sam Waksal and Martha Stewart's world. I couldn't put it down.

The Waksal-Stewart Connection.......2004-01-27

This fascinating story has appeared just as the Martha Stewart trial is getting underway. The book is crammed full of details not only concerning the principal characters, but also cancer treatments and the burgeoning world of biotechnology. Sam Waksal comes across as a mercurial salesman with no true sense of right or wrong, a classic striver seeking recognition and aspiring to great wealth, but also dissing the hopes of many with cancer. It's a good read -- fast-paced, up-to-date and accurate. If you really want to know why Waksal is in jail for seven years and how Martha Stewart became involved with his world, read this amazing and well-researched tale.

Book Description

Individuals, organizations, and communities constantly engage in change. Creating Paths of Change is a provides the reader with a proven strategy for making changes and resolving issues more effectively. This effective workbook is written for individuals and groupsùmanagers, entrepreneurs, and consultants ûwho are taking responsibility for the change effort. It addresses the problems faced in the daily operations of organizational life, and provides a foundation and theory for effective and sustained issue resolution. Creating Paths of Change guides the reader, in a step-by-step fashion, through the change-making or decision-making process helping the reader identify and improve his or her personal problem-solving style. The book has been used by individual managers, community volunteers, organizational consultants in a number of settings, and has been thoroughly class-tested in university courses.

Customer Reviews:

At last: the manual we were waiting for.......2002-05-23

This books contains it all: who, why, what and how to make effective, efficient, creative and committed change. Changes that last and last. Very practical, down to earth, yet based on a powerful and imaginative model. Don't read it, use it!

Everything you always wanted to ask about change, but ..........2000-03-29

were afraid to know. McWinney shows in this "fieldbook" how any change process can be tackled. He convinced me how working with myself, the groups and the resources at hand can create better and longer lasting solutions. Not only to problems but also to the issues of problems that were very hard to solve. The book is a practicle guide to his "Paths of change" and should belong to every bookshelf that contains literature on change and social issues. One warning: this book is not about quick fixes and will only work for you when you are not afraid to venture where you thought you wouldn't dare to go.

Book Description

The rural areas of Britain, Europe and the developed world are undergoing massive changes, with increasing concern about productivity, agricultural methods and environmental policy. Rural Politics examines the issues affecting rural areas, such as water pollution, forestry, and the greening of agricultural policy. It looks in particular at the political parameters surrounding these issues and how concern for the countryside is essentially part of a wider set of political processes.

Book Description

Regression toward the mean is a complex statistical principle that plays a crucial role in any research involving the measurement of change. This primer is designed to help researchers more fully understand this phenomenon and avoid common errors in interpretation. The book presents new methods of graphing regression toward the mean, facilitating comprehension with a wealth of figures and diagrams. Special attention is given to applications related to program or treatment evaluation. Numerous concrete examples illustrate the ways researchers all too often attribute effects to an intervention or other causal variable without considering regression artifacts as an alternative explanation for change. Also discussed are instances when problems are actually created, instead of solved, by "correction" for regression toward the mean. Throughout, the authors strive to use nontechnical language and to keep simulations and formulas as accessible as possible.

Book Description

The correct choice of vector is crucial to success in molecular biology. This volume brings together up-to-date information on the most widely used vectors for bacterial, mammalian, plant and yeast research and so will prove invaluable for all researches in these fields. The Essential Data series provides rapid access to the core data required by researchers on a daily basis, in convenient pocket-sized volumes.

Book Description

Every offensive playbook gives you Xs and Os that look good on paper. Football's Best Offensive Playbook goes the extra yard, providing precisely illustrated plays that are proven point-producers in games.

Each of the 100 running, passing, and special plays comes with a clear, accurate diagram and coaching pointers that highlight key player positions and responsibilities. Many coaches list alternate formations, and most of the plays can be adapted to any offensive system. A convenient Play Finder index lists plays by type of run, pass, and formation. And since the book features contributions from coaches at the high school, college, and pro ranks, you'll find plays that work at all levels.

Strengthen your playlist with help from many of the game's most successful coaches—with Football's Best Offensive Playbook.

Customer Reviews:

Good intro book.......2004-03-20

I bought this book expecting to get a football playbook. Well, I got some football plays, but not a full playbook. If you're new to football then this book would be for you. I got what I was looking for in www.totalplaybook.com . They offer a pretty solid offensive and defensive playbook. If you are a rookie then get this book, but for us veterans the www.totalplaybook.com or equivalant is more our speed...

Outstanding Guide to Great Plays.......2003-03-10

Dee Hawkes does a great service to all coaches with this compilation of the best offensive plays in current use. He also provides a handy "play finder" section for quick reference.

Plays are broken down by type (off-tackle, options, quick passes, etc.), and by formation (predominantly I formation, but with a healthy mix of single back/spread, Wing-T, veer and even wishbone). Hawkes also makes it easy to locate plays by each coach who submitted them.

And what a group of coaches -- the greatest offensive minds in college and high school football for the last 20 years are represented here. Cross-referencing plays among coaches reveals insights into the differences a seemingly minor blocking variation can make in the success or failure of a play.

Highly recommended.

This is NOT a playbook!.......2001-04-16

This book is a collected work of the most successful football plays from a variety of systems. If you purchase this book, as I did, looking for a PLAYBOOK you will be sorely disapointed.

The individual plays are well diagrammed and explained, as well as the philosophy behind their use, but there is no consistency within the book. You could not, for example, take this document to your football practice and install the plays with your high school team and expect to have a successful offense.

Rather, if you are running an offense SIMILAR to the offense of one of the coaches who contributed to the book, then you may find ONE OR TWO plays that you can add to your existing system. This is a far cry from being a "playbook" as the title claims.

I do not recommend this book for any coach below the high school level, or for parents wishing to learn the sport better. You will only be confused.

Hey coach, you need this book!.......2001-02-17

This book is a great investment for any coach. It has diagrams of the most successful plays by the most successful coaches in the profession. Not only does the book diagram the plays, but it also provides in-depth information about each play. There are plays from almost all offensive formations, such as the I formation, Wing T, Split Backs, Wishbone, and Single Back. I would recomend this book to any football coach that is interested in expanding their offensive knowledge.

Awesome offensive playbook!.......2000-08-27

If you are looking for a comprehensive playbook this is it! It lists plays submitted from some of the best and well respected High School, College and Professional coaches in the nation. Not only does it diagram the X's and O's but also give detailed position by position responsibilities for each play against various defenses! Even if you don't implement these plays into your own offense, it is a fantastic reference book.

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive...

Disappointed with Amazon

An essential reference work

A book full of surprise

The Cadillac of Symbol Books

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionary, Penguin)
Jean Chevalier , and Alain Gheerbrant
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

A Dictionary of Symbols

An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols

Dictionary of Symbolism: Cultural Icons and the Meanings Behind Them

The Secret Language of Symbols: A Visual Key to Symbols and Their Meanings

Symbols, Signs and Signets (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

ASIN: 0140512543

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive..........2007-06-09

A Comprehensive listing of symbols, would be a good source of reference. But no illustrations at all, and illustrations would have made it more enjoyable to read/ browse the book for its own sake.

Disappointed with Amazon.......2006-06-20

While this is certainly an interesting reference tool, the book Amazon keeps in stock as 'The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols' is not the one pictured. The book that this page leads you to believe you are buying is quite a bit shorter, but actually gives illustrations of the symbols (I used to own a copy of it). The book that Amazon sells on this page is a fairly useful reference book, but lacks the imagery of the one pictured, which some buyers may be seeking.

An essential reference work.......2006-02-03

Hands down, the best resource of its kind available in print.

A book full of surprise.......2004-12-30

My teacher recommanded this dictionary to me (she got a copy of original French version). After I got this book I had a quick check of it. However, I couldn't stop when I started reading it! I found myself being "absorbed" in this book! I read it not as a dictionary but a book full of surprise. Although there ain't so many beautiful pictures in this book, I'd still like to recommand it. But if you want a book full of pictures, just choose the Norton one.

The Cadillac of Symbol Books.......2004-12-04

I have studied symbols and observed them in my life for over 30 years, and at latest count own over 20 books on symbols. Unfortunately, after I had obtained about five of them, the succeeding ones became mostly just

Average customer rating:

Penguin Dictionary of Symbols
Jean Chevalier
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7ME7A

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols - B Fmt

Average customer rating:

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols - B Fmt
Chevalier Jean Et Al
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ4G5W

Book Description

This prophetic manifesto for the preservation of the world brings together Joan Chittister’s most powerful, influential, and celebrated writings. Passionate and provocative, this collection combines the spiritual practices of the Rule of Saint Benedict with the contemporary struggles for social justice, feminism, and ecology. Today’s most pressing spiritual, political, social, economical, and environmental questions are addressed and individuals of every religious and political persuasion are challenged to unite under a new and bold vision that honors the earth, its people, and all of life.

Oysters, pearls and irritation: Joan Chittister's anger is neither dimmed nor quenched.(Book Review): An article from: Presbyterian Record

Average customer rating:

Oysters, pearls and irritation: Joan Chittister's anger is neither dimmed nor quenched.(Book Review): An article from: Presbyterian Record
Lee McKenna Du Charme
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Presbyterian Record, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2006. The length of the article is 752 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Oysters, pearls and irritation: Joan Chittister's anger is neither dimmed nor quenched.(Book Review)
Author: Lee McKenna Du Charme
Publication: Presbyterian Record (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 130 Issue: 3 Page: 43(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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