How They Deceive Us
Discover the truth about drug companies
During more than two decades at the helm of the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, Dr Marcia Angell observed, from the front line, the shocking excesses of the pharmaceutical industry. An industry which, far from devoting itself to its primary mission - to discover and produce useful medicines - has been transformed into a gigantic marketing machine, wielding unprecedented power over medical research, education and the practice of medicine.
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Cover : The Truth About the Drug Companies |
A daring book
In "The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It", a bold and hard-hitting book, Dr Angell reveals the insidious mechanisms of a system that has been revealed and proposes urgent reforms to restore the industry's integrity.
Did you know that Americans spend more than $200 billion a year on prescription drugs? Contrary to what the giants of the sector claim, these exorbitant prices do not finance research and development, but are used mainly for massive marketing campaigns for products that are often of questionable benefit. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are manipulating clinical trials, exploiting publicly funded research and flooding the market with copy-and-paste drugs that are expensive but barely more effective than their predecessors.
Dr Angell illustrates these practices with concrete examples, such as the famous AZT (the first treatment for HIV/AIDS) and Taxol, the best-selling cancer drug in history. She also points the finger at the sprawling influence of companies on Congress, the FDA and academic centres, while proposing essential reforms: independence of clinical research, separation of medical education from commercial interests, and much more.
A fascinating book, rigorously documented and incisively written, which will open your eyes to an industry in urgent need of reform.
What the American press is saying about this book:
- “Dr. Angell's argument is solid, compelling and disturbing.”
- — The New York Times
- “What could well be the Fast Food Nation of the pharmaceutical industry. Angell... offers a searing indictment of “Big Pharma”, which she describes as corrupt and corrupting.”
- — Publishers Weekly
- “A sober, lucid look at the excesses of pharmaceutical company power... a clear, convincing and vitally important book.”
- — The Boston Sunday Globe
- “Her style is clear and accessible... Angell excels in presenting a convincing case against Big Pharma.”
- — Chicago Sun-Times
- “If you've ever been shocked by the price of prescription drugs, The Truth About the Drug Companies is the book for you.”
- — Newsday
- “Thorough and insightful”
- — Rocky Mountain News
- “Put your money on Angell. We need to understand why drugs are so expensive and how our doctors choose which ones to prescribe.”
- — St. Louis Post Dispatch
- “Captivating and well-written”
- — San Antonio Express-News
- “Pharmaceutical companies will need a miracle painkiller after the blow dealt by Marcia Angell in her book... a starting point for a serious debate.”
- — The Hartford Courant
- “If informed criticism is the most biting, Marcia Angell's indictment of Big Pharma could well pierce this giant's armour.”
- — Minneapolis Star Tribune
About the author
A former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and a member of the Department of Social Medicine at the prestigious Harvard Medical School, Marcia Angell is a nationally recognised authority on health policy and medical ethics. A committed critic of the healthcare system, she was named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in the United States. She is also the author of Science on Trial: The Clash of Medical Evidence and the Law in the Breast Implant Case.
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