What does a biotech CEO who has brought eight orphan drugs to market have in common with a bestselling novelist? In this case, they are the same person. Today’s guest is Fredric Price, who writes award-winning fiction as David Hirshberg. His newest novel “Crossing the Bronx” completes a trilogy that began with “My Mother’s Son” and continued with “Jacobo’s Rainbow.”
Price is living proof that remarkable lives show up everywhere. He’s been a CEO for decades, founded a biotech firm after he thought he had retired, is a book publisher, and only started writing fiction past middle age. In this conversation we talk about why storytelling is the real skill behind both raising millions for a drug and writing a novel, the unforgettable 30-second video he showed the FDA that changed everything, why he uses 1952 and 1955 to talk about 2026, and why he has no desire to write a pharma thriller.
This is an episode about second acts, about never actually retiring, and about the idea that the technical details are just the skeleton — story is the muscle, flesh, and eyes.
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Guest Background
01:51 Fredric Price’s Diverse Career and Passions
05:00 The Skeleton and Flesh of a Good Story
07:41 Using History to Reflect the Present
11:11 Themes of Family and Rivalry in His Novels
13:24 Writing Without Being Handcuffed by History
14:45 Comparison of Satisfaction: Novels vs FDA Approval
16:13 Recognition and Success in Writing and Pharma
17:35 Future Projects and Reinventions
18:47 Closing Remarks and Appreciation
Guest Information
Fredric Price
Website
1999 interview with Barry Gibbons
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