Quest for a Cure

Mondays 20 March to 3 April 2006 8.00-8.30pm

Modern drugs and healthier living are extending our life spans dramatically, decade by decade. But the discovery of a new drug is one of the most expensive adventures in modern capitalism. Each one brought to the market place costs around £500 million. But despite the benefits they provide, the pharmaceutical companies face constant suspicion and criticism. Big Pharma, as they are called, make billions, vast profits, out of global illness.

In this ground-breaking series, Peter Day tracks the 18 year history of a potential new treatment for HIV Aids, now known as Maraviroc, from uncertain trial and error investigation in the labs through to large scale clinical testing. Will Maraviroc survive the process to become another weapon in the ceaseless battle against disease - or will it, like most drug candidates, fail?

The last programme was on:

Peter Day visits Washington DC to see whether the regulators will allow an HIV-Aids drug, now called Maraviroc, to reach the marketplace.

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Quest for a Cure

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• 3 October 2007
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