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Author and trial lawyer Mix (A Question of Judgment) has specialized in drug-product liability litigation since becoming a member of the California bar in 1967. Between 1972 and 1996, he successfully took on the pharmaceutical giant Merrell Dow (previously involved in Thalidomide) in seven of eight cases involving serious birth defects connected with use of the fertility drug Clomid, cases that rest on the claim that Merrell suppressed evidence of possible danger to fetuses. In this state-of-the-industry case study, Mix provides a suspense-filled account of how “a relatively inexperienced young attorney who appeared unprepared for the task” bested the pharmaceutical behemoth in 1964, only to be defeated, finally, in 1993 (when Merrell moved the eighth case directly into the federal court system). Despite being a lawyer without formal scientific education, Mix spent the 24 years since his first case analyzing all of the published information on fertility drugs and (unsuccessfully) attempting to convince the FDA to force a strong warning from Merrell regarding the risks of taking Clomid. This gripping true-life medical/legal thriller casts serious doubts on the FDA’s impartiality and the “conservative” federal judiciary, while summarizing vital information for women considering fertility treatments. (Nov.) -- Publishers Weekly, 11/16/2009
The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up Terence Mix’s Nautilus Award winning book, The Price of Ovulation, is that it’s big. And I mean BIG in capital letters. It’s got a BIG storyline spanning over thirty years of investigation and litigation against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in America. It’s a memoir. It’s an essay. It’s a reference book. It’s dramatic. It’s informative. It’s entertaining. It’s BIG. That it manages to be all of these things is a feat in itself, but all of these aspects are expertly melded into a single sword which may just be the ultimate weapon against corporate corruption that Mix had hoped for when he began writing it... ...The Price of Ovulation is a wonderful book that keeps you tearing through, angrily underlining and scribbling in the margins all the way to the end. Terence Mix also does a great job of casting himself as the main character, becoming more than just a talking head full of information. He lets you into to his personal struggles which parallel his legal and scientific journey. He’s likable and funny, and utterly alone against an army of corporate doctors and lawyers, all of which serves to make him an extraordinary character to follow throughout this horrifying, sad, and enlightening modern odyssey.
ERIC JONES BookReview.com
Read the Full Review The Price of Ovulation is an extraordinary book from many perspectives. As it educates the reader in esoteric areas of law, science and medicine, the author takes us on a 35-year journey through an obstacle course imposed by a powerful pharmaceutical company, the FDA and the court system. From his groundbreaking trial and verdict, to his presentation and pleas to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to his multiple visits to the pharmaceutical plant and discovery of shocking and incriminating records, Terence Mix opens doors and exposes practices within the drug industry that very few outsiders ever see.
But it is when the author begins to lay out the case against clomiphene and other fertility drugs that his skills as an educator really shine….(O)nly after reviewing this incredible book (did) the evidence all came together,…(making) a case against clomiphene that is hard to ignore.
The greatest value of this book… is an intriguing, yet credible, proposal by its author which may one day have vast and far-reaching humanitarian implications….If validated in appropriately-designed epidemiology studies, this book may well be a beacon of hope to one day eradicating hundreds of thousands of birth defects throughout the world.
ANDREW CZEIZEL, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics
Budapest, Hungary
World Renowned Expert on Birth Defects
The Price of Ovulation is a must read for anyone in the medical field who manages infertility or writes a prescription for medication! For patients and health care providers involved in the care of infertility, the book serves as a comprehensive review of fertility drugs and their documented potential risks of birth defects that have been minimized or even ignored. The book not only points out the problems with these frequently used medications, but also provides a potential solution to eliminate tens of thousands of birth defects using simple and sound nutritional principles involved in our body’s natural physiology.
The book also serves as an eye-opener to the workings of our drug prescription approval and monitoring process….
This revealing and thorough analysis could only have occurred through the scrutinizing eyes of a person from the legal profession who has devoted his life to being a consumer advocate….While many physicians view attorneys with suspicion, this attorney's voice may be the one that saves them from breaking their oath, to first do no harm, by pausing to carefully and honestly consider the potential benefits and risks of a drug - even if they are not always found on the label. Terence Mix's experience teaches us that litigation outcomes do not end with settlement fees - we must all seek lessons and solutions. Congratulations to him on not settling for legal or financial wins, but rather continuing with courage his lifelong pursuit to seek solutions.
RON SHEMESH, M.D.
Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Board of Holistic Medicine
www.mindbodyspiritcare.com
In The Price of Ovulation, Terry Mix takes you through the thrill of an incredibly complicated fertility drug case which, in short order, leads him to a remarkable invitation to do a presentation on Clomid's potential relationship to Down syndrome. Imagine, a trial lawyer invited to speak to scientists on what he learned in preparing for trial. At one point, the company, Richardson-Merrell, becomes so concerned about this young lawyer they attempt to buy him out of the litigation. But Terry Mix is a man on a mission to get to the bottom of a problem that is having a devastating impact on many young lives. He educates himself in incredibly esoteric and challenging areas of medicine to master the impact of Clomid.
After numerous successes for his clients, with an eventual disappointing result due to the very hostile rules in Federal court, Terry dedicates himself to try and find a solution to this problem, hopefully which will save tens of thousands of children from suffering birth defects in the future. This is a book that makes one proud of the legal profession, regarding a remarkable individual who never gave up despite all the obstacles thrown at him by the court system, the defendant, and the FDA. I believe this book should be an inspiration to the Congress to make sure that the FDA procedures are strengthened and that people who are harmed by drugs will still have their day in court.
DAVID S. CASEY, JR.
President, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 2003
Featured attorney in Southern California Super Lawyers magazine, 2007
The Price of Ovulation is so much more than an exposé, so much more than a book of facts. It is a journey. From Terry Mix's meeting with the parents of a delightful little boy whose life was forever altered by the devastating effects of a fertility drug to his unexpected discovery of a simple way to protect many unborn children from the tragic effects of preventable birth defects, The Price of Ovulation grips the reader with the calloused mentality of the pharmaceutical industry, the almost-criminal ineffectiveness of the FDA watchdog, and the pointed challenge of accountability for the lives of those who long to have children of their own, it urges the consumer to take action to fix a cumbersome system overburdened, understaffed, and in the pocket of the very entity it is supposed to oversee. This book will touch your heart and your life in ways you cannot imagine. And it's a must-read for anyone who must depend on medical assistance to achieve pregnancy.
LINDA LANE
Executive Editor
Edit et Cetera, Ltd.
An absolute must-read and incredible teaching tool for anyone interested in eliminating tens of thousands of birth defects around the world and what goes on in the drug industry. A book that will awaken medical science about a major cause of birth defects and what can be done about it.
BERNY "B.J." DOHRMANN
CO-Founder, CEO Space
Author of Perfection Can Be Had and Super Achiever Mindsets
Originator of Super Teaching Technology
An absolutely awesome book that has something for everyone…. The Price of Ovulation is a book of information that everyone should know about, including studies and statistics that are actually on record, and yet it is very readable and written in a way that lay people can understand….The material it contains I found to be fascinating and for me a somewhat emotional read. I would not hesitate recommending this phenomenal book to everyone.
DONNA SEEBO
The Donna Seebo Show
www.bbsradio.com
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