Roger MacBride Allen, although most widely recognized for his Star Wars novels, offers in “Side Effect” an example of hard pharmaceutical science fiction. 
 
Published in the March 1990 issue of Analog, “Side Effect” is a story about a proposed miracle drug called Trimalicine-3. News of the cure-all has just been leaked and now everyone is anticipating its release, but especially the stockholders and the board of directors, who are eager to make billions of dollars. The story follows a conversation between the narrator, a representative of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and two researchers who reveal, unfortunately, that the drug is unviable for reasons revealed by story’s end, that is the side effect mentioned in the title. 


Allen’s story might be considered hard science fiction. Its concise plot focuses mainly on the scientific testing of Trimalicine-3. The researchers explain in detail their process of experimentation and the specific findings that doom this miracle drug. And yet, although Allen’s storytelling is science-driven and realistic, the narrative proves to rich source of critical interest for its critique of the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The narrative clearly juxtaposes the ethics and morality of the researchers with the corporate greed of the industry, commenting satirically on the hopes and fear of surrounding pharmaceutical research.  
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