COULD ONE DRUG DELIVER A SAFE, NATURAL SUNTAN, A BETTER SEX LIFE AND WEIGHT LOSS?
THE CURIOUS QUEST FOR A NEW WONDER DRUG IS DETAILED IN THE NEW BOOK: "SEX, DIET & TANNING"
A BEHIND THE SCENES STORY THAT DETAILS THE DECADES LONG PROCESS OF DRUG DEVELOPMENT AS TOLD BY THE SCIENTISTS AND FINANCIERS.
While the title feels like the tagline of the hottest new reality show, SEX, DIET & TANNING tells the detailed, personal, improbable and true story of what it takes to develop a new class of drugs and in this case, a revolutionary one that could not only treat rare skin diseases but potentially create a safe, natural suntan without dangerous UV light … not to mention improved sex lives and appetite control with second-generation drugs in this class.
The general public has little idea of the arduous process required to make real medical breakthroughs – which is why we marvel when new vaccines and treatments are announced.
Authors Bob Dorr and Terry Winters tell their story from deep inside their journey dating back to the early nineties providing each of their unique perspectives both in the scientific and venture capital worlds, taking readers through the twists and turns in the process of discovering, refining, testing and financing a potentially breakthrough treatment. Specifically, the invention of a drug based on the natural tanning peptide alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (or a-MSH) which could create a natural skin tan, identical to a tan from sunlight, without the inherent damage from UV light.
Along the way, they accidentally (and hilariously) discover that one of the second generation drugs could also have an impact on sexual stimulation and weight loss, eventually influencing unique new drugs that are either now available or close to being on the market, including Scenesse which treats extreme light sensitivity, Vylessi, (so-called female Viagra) for pre-menopausal women and a treatment for childhood obesity.
Says Dorr, 'There are now three FDA-approved melanotropic peptides on the market, but our drug was the first. And they all use the same pigmentation superpotency chemistry that we pioneered at the University of Arizona."
The book goes deep into the details, whether in the laboratory or in boardrooms all over the world as this small operation at the University of Arizona drummed up funding without the usual route through Big Pharma, eventually developing the drug across the globe in Australia (where skin cancer is a massive concern).
Winters elaborates, "It's unusual for a start-up company out of a University to actually result in getting a drug to market and most of the start-ups do not have the incredible series of events that happened with this development process. In addition, this drug got to market with a lot less spending than most drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies."
Through it all, readers will meet wily and colorful international investors (including one who was shot in a robbery gone wrong) and witness the gyrations and maneuvers to not only raise and maintain funding for research (on a drug that could cost $1000/gram) but keep them from going under entirely.
They'll also meet a maverick scientist on the team who through highly unorthodox self-experimentation stumbled onto the sexual benefits of the drug… seeing the intended effect of his skin pigmentation changing while also experiencing an eight-hour erection.
The book also takes viewers deep into the science detailing the damage of skin tanning. Says Dorr, " The main thing is for readers to realize that the signal for 'normal' skin tanning starts with DNA damage of skin cells. Thus, all “natural” tans start with DNA damage that accrues over a lifetime to increase the risks of developing skin cancer. A drug like ours (afamelanotide) circumvents the damage to get a natural and sun-protective tan."
SEX, DIET & TANNING is being released nationally and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and in bookstores everywhere on February 22.
Robert T. Dorr, Ph.D., is a founding member of the University of Arizona (UA) Cancer Center and ran their outpatient pharmacy operations for 20+ years. He has BS (1974), and MS (1978), degrees in pharmacy from the UA College of Pharmacy. He initially practiced in-patient hospital pharmacy for 6 years at the UA’s University Hospital in Tucson, AZ before entering the PhD graduate program in medical pharmacology at the UA College of Medicine in 1980. Following graduation in 1984, he ran a successful NCI grant-supported cancer drug development laboratory at the UA Cancer Center for over 25 years. He is a cofounder of the Melanotan Corporation, the precursor USA company for Australia’s Clinuvel, Ltd in Melbourne. Dr. Dorr has published over 400 peer-reviewed scientific publications and holds 27 US patents for drugs and medical devices. He was the principal investigator for the preclinical development of afamelanotide, originally called Melanotan-I, and for the precursor drug for bremelanotide, Melanotan-II. He was also a co-investigator for both drugs’ early clinical development at the U of A. He is currently an Emeritus Professor of Medical Pharmacology at the UA’s College of Medicine.
Terry Winters holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Wales, U.K in 1967. and did a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA 1967-8. He was born in the UK and emigrated to the USA in 1967, becoming a US citizen in 1973.
He spent most of his business career as a venture capitalist, from 1977 to 2007, starting with DS ventures, Diamond Shamrock’s corporate venture fund and then becoming a general partner in Columbine Venture Funds in Denver in 1983 and then Valley Ventures in Phoenix in 1996 in funds managing over $150M.
He specialized in University-sourced start-ups and has been a director of over 20 companies including many private companies and several public companies, including CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Orthologic Corp and Clinuvel Ltd. Several of the private companies were acquired by larger companies including Microgenics and Ascent Healthcare Solutions.
Dr. Winters finished his career as CEO of one of his portfolio companies, Vital Therapies Inc. (NASDAQ: VTL) 2003 - 2017, Chairman 2003 - 2012 and Co-Chairman 2012-2016. He retired from VTL at the end of 2017. The company is based in San Diego, CA, and was developing the first human cell-based bio-artificial liver. Supported by the board, he hired the management team, guided strategy and led over $220M of fund raising through its private VC-funded stage, a recap in 2012 and IPO in 2014. In 2018, the company’s phase 3 trial did not meet its primary endpoint and the company was merged with Immunic Corp.
He is now retired, invests in the life sciences and is actively involved in science related issues, including global warming.
