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OVERVIEW
A meticulously reported exposé uncovers exactly how the drug
industry boosts sales and bilks consumers in the most lucrative prescription
drug market in the world
As the pharmaceutical industry invests more and more in the development of
new drugs, true breakthroughs are few and far between. Into the breach comes
a panoply of product-line extensions and me-too drugs aimed at grabbing market
share. The industry plows its high profits back into research, but invests an
equal or greater sum in flogging its products in every imaginable venue. Research
studies are designed to support marketing claims. Many doctors all over the
country get their first information about new drugs from a salesperson. And,
increasingly, prescription drugs are pitched to consumers on TV and the internet
with images of hope, terror, or chic. Evidence-based practice guidelines, which
endeavor to get the right medicines to those who will benefit most, can't be
heard over the din.
Having created an unprecedented number of "megabrands"—blockbuster
drugs with huge sales—and undergone an extraordinary wave of consolidation,
some drug companies now find themselves in a precarious position. Patents are
expiring on flagship products. In order to sustain the growth Wall Street has
come to expect, these companies must produce billions of dollars worth of new
revenue—fast. But can Americans continue to bankroll Operation Grow Big
Pharma? Must we swallow the bad with the good?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. The Spend Trend
2. Patent Shenanigans
3. You Say Profits, They Say R&D
4. Big Pharma's Winning Pitch
5. Getting to You
6. Drugs R Us
7. Nothin's Gonna Change My World
8. The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg
REVIEW
A New York freelance writer details how consumers' health and budgets are at
the mercy of the monopolistic drug industry and their abettors, and suggests
a first step toward reform. Includes a note on sources but not a bibliography.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katharine Greider has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance magazine
writer. Her articles, often focusing on health and medical topics, have appeared
in a dozen publications from Self to Mother Jones. She lives in New York City
with her family.
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