The book is about the link between science and business - how discoveries made in academic laboratories are taken up by venture capitalists and investors, and converted into products which, if they are successful, provide treatments for disease and may generate substantial returns for investors. At one level, the book by Owen and Hopkins provides a detailed history of the evolution of the industry in the US and the UK, the two countries which have been the most successful. The technical science behind the products is set out succinctly, and the authors chart a clear course in describing the main firms over the decades, what happened to them, where they stand now, and how they obtained their finance. It is a very good source for anyone wishing to learn about this important industry. But the main thrust of the book is analytical rather than descriptive. The aims of the authors are to explain how firms based in the US took the lead in commercialising the scientific advances, and why it has been so difficult for companies in other advanced economies to displace the Americans from their dominant position. Overall, this book is very well written and researched, and contains many interesting ideas. A very good buy.