Short Wave Without this pill, lots of people would be dead
28 snips
May 11, 2026 
Mel Mann, a CML survivor who joined clinical trials and took Gleevec, shares his personal journey. Sydney Lupkin, an NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, traces the drug’s discovery, rapid approval, and lasting legacy. They explore targeted therapy’s origins, dramatic patient responses, and how one pill reshaped cancer treatment.
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Patient Goes From Death Sentence To Marathon
- Mel Mann was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 1995 and given three years to live.
- He joined trials, started Gleevec in 1998, and by June 1999 was running a marathon in Anchorage, Alaska.
Community Drives Couldn't Find A Match
- Mel Mann organized bone marrow drives to find a match but faced low chances as a Black patient, adding thousands to the registry without finding his own match.
- He then enrolled in experimental clinical trials before accessing Gleevec.
Target The Faulty Switch Driving Cancer
- Brian Druker pursued targeting the molecular cause of cancer instead of broadly toxic chemotherapy.
- He targeted the abnormal enzyme from the Philadelphia chromosome that stuck a growth switch in the on position.