Pictured is a coffee cup with a story. Last year, my brother Chris was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He believes that he caught this cancer from his exposure to the herbicide Roundup. After this was diagnosed, his oncologist prescribed Rituxan the first monoclonal antibody drug developed for cancer. So last year, in addition to caring for our already ailing father, he had to contend with his own illness. He was prescribed roughly half-a-dozen monthly infusions of the drug. Even after his first dose, there was a marked improvement. By the end of his regimen, he was pronounced cured. But this story began long before.

Rituxan was developed by IDEC Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego pharmaceutical company that focused on developing and commercializing targeted immuno-therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. In the early nineties, Kathy, Frank’s wife, was a director there. More particularly she was the project manager for the development of Rituxan. It made a big news splash at rollout and not in a good way as the $2,000 a dose cancer drug, which back then was deemed exorbitant. Times change. For Chris, Rituxan’s cure for cancer would have cost twelve-grand, but Medicare paid for everything. Such a deal! Anyway, in 2003, IDEC merged with Biogen, where Frank was working, to form Biogen-IDEC, which later became just Biogen. Kathy and Frank both retired shortly after the merger, sold their stock options and have been living the good life ever since. Later this week, Anne and I are planning on taking a break from “flinging” to stay as guests at their vacation rental, on the coast of Mendicino.