Play Audiobook Sample
Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 808 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Medicine is broken. We like to imagine that it's based on evidence and the results of fair tests. In reality, those tests are often profoundly flawed. We like to imagine that doctors are familiar with the research literature surrounding a drug, when in reality much of the research is hidden from them by drug companies. We like to imagine that doctors are impartially educated, when in reality much of their education is funded by industry. We like to imagine that regulators let only effective drugs onto the market, when in reality they approve hopeless drugs, with data on side effects casually withheld from doctors and patients.
All these problems have been protected from public scrutiny because they're too complex to capture in a sound bite. But Dr. Ben Goldacre shows that the true scale of this murderous disaster fully reveals itself only when the details are untangled. He believes we should all be able to understand precisely how data manipulation works and how research misconduct on a global scale affects us. In his own words, "the tricks and distortions documented in these pages are beautiful, intricate, and fascinating in their details." With Goldacre's characteristic flair and a forensic attention to detail, Bad Pharma reveals a shockingly broken system and calls for something to be done. This is the pharmaceutical industry as it has never been seen before.
Download and start listening now!
"This is a very important book that every doctor and every patient should read. The author explains the drug trials that result in medicines (often of no or doubtful use) being approved for prescription and sale, in the USA and elsewhere. The pharmaceutical industry often pays for tests and then hides any negative results, picking and choosing which trials should be published in order to make their new products look good, and doctors are only told what the manufacturers want them to hear. Many research papers by reputable scientists are routinely buried in the no-man's-land of unpublished documents. Attempts by scientists to provide better access to more complete information about products, such as establishing a registry of trials to be run on a product, are often circumvented by the industry. Results from contracted trials, and university trials, paid for by Big Pharma, become proprietary and unfavorable data are hidden from doctors and from the public. This is all about money and patents, and about getting doctors to prescribe an expensive new drug even when it's no better than, or inferior to, and existing drug whose patent has run out and is now cheaper for the patient. It's scary. I recommend it. Not for fun, but because we need to know."
— Barbm1020 (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
A useful guide for policymakers, doctors and the patients who need protection against deliberate disinformation."
— Kirkus
Bad Pharma Listener Reviews
-
" Devastatingly simple explanation of the broken medical industry. Everyone should understand how missing data corrupts medicine and routinely results in patient deaths, and join Ben Goldacre in calling for change. A must read. "
— Phil, 2/8/2014 -
" I wouldn't say that I enjoyed this book, because it is much too serious for that. But I found it very enlightening - and infuriating: People are harmed, and lots of tax money is wasted on ineffectual treatments because of the pharmaceutical companies' shenanigans. In addition to highlighting problems, Goldacre also suggests ways of fixing them. His passion for the subject shines through, and that contributes to making this an excellent read. "
— Christina, 2/3/2014 -
" It raises awareness on a series of important key issues, some that I hadn't the faintest idea, others to which I didn't know the full extent. It repeats itself a little, though, and keeps refering previous sections and examples, making it somewhat tedious, but it's a good reading, especially for the bullet points at the end of each chapter. "
— Evelyn, 1/26/2014 -
" Very interesting, shocking at times learning what the industry is up to. Only criticism is that it is long and perhaps off-puttingly so for some, but well worth it if you plough through. "
— Lauren, 1/10/2014 -
" Truly great book calling for transparency in our healthcare. I would recommend it to everyone. "
— Egle, 1/9/2014 -
" I hate it when authors stretch a book out with repetition as this book does. I so wanted to read this book as the subject has been an ongoing interest of mine. In the end I gave up. "
— Zuzu, 12/30/2013 -
" This is hefty topic. And I don't think it could have been handled any better. Its also a topic that attracts much heat but little light. Thankfully, this book is a dazzling exception. You likely wont burn through the pages quickly, but it is a must read, (maybe even more than once so it sinks in). "
— Sam, 12/27/2013 -
" I"d recommend this book to anyone who has ever, or ever intends to take prescription medicine. Or even if you don't... "
— Luke, 12/22/2013 -
" It's surprising how much of this I actually knew, but it's well put together. "
— David, 12/21/2013 -
" I enjoyed Bad Science, but found this tedious. Dislike his style. Borders on patronising and found it was all dragged out a bit. "
— Tom, 9/26/2013 -
" interesting book looking at drug trials and marketing behind and how the industry misleads doctors and patients according to ben goldacre in his lastest book "
— Stephen, 9/20/2013 -
" He makes a lot of good points and seems to be as impartial as anyone can be when writing a book like this. I'm not optimistic that many policy changes will come from it, unfortunately. "
— Emarie, 9/6/2013 -
" Good on the scandal of nonpublication. Bad on the role of medical writers -- we are NOT all ghostwriters! "
— Liz, 6/11/2013 -
" Apparently the Trovan antibiotic scandal in Nigeria (involving Pfizer) was the inspiration for The Constant Gardener. Guess what's next on the To Read list... "
— Sarah, 5/10/2013 -
" Everyone needs to read this! "
— sillypunk, 4/29/2013 -
" Brilliant analysis. Should be read by anyone who has ever been a patient, ever specified and/or dispensed drugs, works for a pharmaceutical company or works in the NHS... "
— Bob, 3/22/2013 -
" Insightful book, really well researched and presented from a British perspective. The case in the US is much worse. "
— Aalap, 2/18/2013
About Ben Goldacre
Ben Goldacre is a doctor and science writer who has written the “Bad Science” column in the Guardian since 2003. He lives in London.
About Jonathan Cowley
Jonathan Cowley, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a British actor hailing from Eastbourne, East Sussex, but he currently calls Los Angeles home. He has narrated many audiobooks and can also be heard on both sides of the Atlantic narrating film trailers and documentaries. He is also an active television and film actor who has appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, Veep, and WestWorld.