AUDIO

Paul A. Offit, M.D., is a rare medical academic. A pediatrician and a central figure in child vaccination policy, he also has an outstanding record in vaccine research and development (including work on the recently approved Gardasil vaccine for cervical cancer). His latest book, Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases (HarperCollins, 2007), brings to life the remarkable career of microbiologist Maurice Hilleman, the peerless Merck researcher who played a key role in bringing a flotilla of life-saving childhood vaccines to market. But Vaccinated is more than a biography. Offit uses Hilleman's experience to bring us the story of vaccines through time and across the globe. At this event, Offit--through his story of Hilleman's career--will share his observations on new vaccine development in today's very different environment, with its threat of liability litigation and government intervention. Responding to Offit will be Cole Werble, a veteran observer of the pharmaceutical industry and the publisher of The RPM Report, which covers health care regulation, policy, and market access.