Arthur Hailey’s "Strong Medicine," Summary

The industrial novel was published in 1984. The writer returned to work after complex heart surgery, creating a detailed panorama of the North American pharmaceutical industry. The plot centers on the life of a woman who rose from a humble traveling agent to the head of a multinational corporation. In 1986, American director Guy Green adapted the book into a two-part television film.

First steps and lotromycin

In 1957, young doctor Andrew Jordan was on duty at St. Bede’s Hospital in Morristown. A young patient, Mary Rowe, was rapidly declining from a hepatic coma caused by hepatitis. Medicine at the time had no reliable methods for reducing ammonia levels in the blood. The day before, Celia DeGray, a Felding-Roth representative, had visited the doctor’s office. She had unsuccessfully tried to interest the doctor in a new antibiotic, only to be irritated by the exhausted physician. Upon learning of the hopeless case, the traveling saleswoman rushed back through a torrential downpour. Celia had brought the experimental drug lotromycin, extorted from researchers at a laboratory in Camden.

The doctor obtained the relatives’ consent and administered an untested medication. The patient regained consciousness the next morning. Amidst this professional triumph, the doctor and the persistent woman developed a close relationship, culminating in marriage.

Celia dreamed of reforming the industry from within. At a sales conference at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, a young employee violated regulations. From the podium, she directly accused her colleagues of deceiving doctors and concealing side effects. The company’s management wanted to immediately throw the rebel out. Assistant Manager Sam Hawthorne unexpectedly took the microphone and supported the courageous woman, saying, "Everything she said is absolutely true."

The incident ended with an apology from management. Celia was tasked with organizing refresher courses for sales agents.

The Thalidomide Crisis and the British Institute

In 1961, an international catastrophe erupted over the sedative thalidomide. The drug caused widespread birth defects in embryos. As early as 1958, Celia insisted on a limited trial of the sleeping pill in geriatric hospice settings, which saved the company from releasing the dangerous drug. Felding-Roth president Eli Camperdown later praised Celia’s professional intuition before his death in 1962.

Sam Hawthorne took over the company in 1963. To overcome the stagnation, the new president proposed opening a research branch in the UK. Scientific Director Vincent Lord opposed the idea of a European laboratory.

A trip to Cambridge brought the management together with a young biochemist, Martin Peet-Smith. The scientist was researching the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease in the cramped basement of the biochemistry department. Initially, the researcher rejected an offer to move to the commercial sector for the freedom to pursue fundamental research. Celia discovered the idealist’s weakness during a punt on the River Cam. She promised the researcher a fivefold increase in laboratory space, a staff, and a high salary. The biochemist accepted, passing on a note: "Everything in good time."

The laboratory complex in Harlow opened in 1973.

The Montey Affair

Washington D.C. inspector Gideon Mace had been holding up the corporation’s applications for a long time. In 1975, Vincent Lord bought dirt on the official from a clerk for two thousand dollars. The documents proved the inspector’s stock market manipulation with insider information.

In the fall of 1976, the company was preparing to launch the antiemetic drug Montain. The French company Gironde-Chimi sold the license, guaranteeing the pills would be completely safe for expectant mothers. Management was in a hurry. Lord threatened the official with prison, forcing the agency to issue the license within two weeks.

Before the sales launch, alarming news arrived. In Australia, France, and Spain, babies were born with severe brain defects and paralysis. The mothers were taking the advertised drug. Celia demanded a six-month delay in the release of the pills. Sam Hawthorne called an emergency board meeting, where nine directors voted for an immediate launch.

The heroine didn’t want to participate in the risky venture and resigned. Her husband suggested she go on a six-month trip around the world.

Return and disaster

The cruise concluded in August 1977 in Hawaii. The family visited the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, where Celia’s father, who died in 1941, is buried.

That morning, Controller Seth Feingold received a call from her hotel room. Hundreds of deformed children had been born worldwide. Sam Hawthorne had secretly administered experimental pills to his pregnant daughter, Juliet, resulting in the birth of his grandson with a disability. The Controller begged the heroine to return, conveying the board’s conditions: "We need you to assess the scale of the disaster and take control."

Celia demanded the drug be immediately withdrawn from pharmacies at the company’s expense. Sam Hawthorne fell into a severe depression. Three weeks later, the shocked grandfather drove his personal car through the top tier of the company garage, crashed through the fence, and died.

The aging financier Preston O’Halloran was appointed interim chairman. After his sudden death from pneumonia in early 1978, the board finally elected Celia Jordan as president. The new CEO adopted a strict declaration banning the development of any medications for pregnant women.

At a US Senate hearing, subcommittee chairman Dennis Donahue lambasted the pharmaceutical industry. Celia openly accused the politician of hypocrisy, pointing out his support for the tobacco lobby.

Triumph of the peptide and the finale

The British branch in Harlow achieved colossal success. Martin Peet-Smith synthesized peptide-7, which improves memory and slows brain aging. In 1981, the drug was released as a nasal spray, causing an unprecedented sensation. Martin received a knighthood at Buckingham Palace, married his girlfriend Yvonne, and announced his return to Cambridge University.

Vincent Lord simultaneously completed work on hexin. The drug suppressed free radicals, relieving arthritis pain. The scientist concealed from regulatory authorities the fact that Dr. Yaminer had falsified reports and concealed fifteen reports of fatal infections.

Celia discovered the hidden reports and immediately handed the folders over to federal authorities. Hexin was recalled from the market. A grand jury investigation was launched against the corporation’s management.

In 1985, Andrew and Celia were flying across the Atlantic on a Boeing 747. Celia was preparing for a difficult trial, determined to defend her life’s work to the bitter end.