Bad Pharma is a riveting plunge into the shadowy corridors of the pharmaceutical industry, where profits often outweigh principles. Pam Lazos and Abraham Johns, MD, craft a timely tale that is as enlightening as it is unsettling.  In today’s world, where the intersection of science, ethics, and commerce is more pronounced than ever, Bad Pharma serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action.  The novel describes a system gone awry and a testament to the indomitable spirit of those who dare to challenge it. 

At the heart of the narrative is RSVIX, a vaccine hailed as a tremendous breakthrough and moneymaker by the powerful corporation Onward Pharmaceutical Labs (OPL).  Beneath the polished veneer of corporate presentations lies a chilling truth: RSVIX is a house of cards built on shaky science. Enter Dr. Siddhartha Kumar (Sid), a tenacious scientist whose discovery of the vaccine's inefficacy sets off a chain reaction. Sid insists that an additional booster provided by a competitor be given to all participants in the RSVIX trial.  This spark threatens to ignite the powder keg of corporate rivalry, greed, and moral bankruptcy.

The plot moves at a good pace, pulling readers into a whirlwind of conspiracy, corporate greed, and scientific discovery. The urgency of the narrative mirrors the real-world race for medical advancements, and it's easy to find yourself racing through the pages, eager to see what happens next. However, in the rush to uncover the next plot twist, you may miss the beautifully crafted prose woven throughout the novel, a masterclass in figurative language. The pharmaceutical industry is depicted as a beast, its tentacles reaching into every aspect of society, squeezing until the lifeblood of integrity is nearly drained. The settings are painted with strokes that vividly bring the stark sterility of labs and the cold grandeur of corporate offices to life.

Following the lives, loves, and passions of the characters in this procedural medical drama story kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. The characters work for a fictional pharmaceutical company completing a clinical trial of an enhanced RSV vaccine for children. Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars each year selling vaccines that have prevented many diseases. Before a new vaccine can be brought to market, the company must conduct a clinical trial to determine the efficacy of its product. Who decides the fate of those enrolled in these clinical trials? Does profit or concern for the patient come first? To find out who lives and who dies, who wins and who loses, read Bad Pharma, and you decide the solutions to the medical and ethical dilemmas raised.

I bought your book last month and loved it! Incredible accomplishment, and even more impressive as a first book. I only regret that I finished it so quickly.  I couldn’t put it down and blew through it in a few days. I’ve passed it around to family and friends and encouraged them to buy/read it. Your character development was truly masterful. Each of the main characters had a well formed personality and was totally believable. I particularly liked the way that you dealt with complex medical concepts for the layperson. I even learned a thing or two about virology!  This is a great way to bring this important issue to the attention of a wide readership.  Well done!