Hormones of Life: Endocrinology, the Pharmaceutical Inductry, and the Dream of a Remedy for Sterility, 1930 to 1970 [Paperback] Christer Nordlund

In the summer of 1948, the pharmaceutical company Leo called a press conference. The next day, news spread that in collaboration with scientists at the Royal Caroline Hospital in Stockholm, the company had discovered a cure for sterility to be called Gonadex. At the time, Gonadex appeared at the forefront of research in endocrinology. Today, however, few remember that this drug ever existed. What went into its design and development? How was it received? And why did it remain on the market for decades despite never actually showing results? Hormones of Life examines the evolution of reproductive endocrinology from 1930 to 1970, a period during which hormone therapy was hailed as the answer to stimulating population growth and a solution to the heartbreak of involuntary childlessness. The narrative reveals how complex the pharmaceutical innovation process can be and how difficult it is to predict the ultimate impact of any new drug. Along the way, the reader is provided with a glimpse into the murky shadows where science, industry, medicine and the media co-exist.