Bottle of Lies : The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom (9780062338808)

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From an award-winning journalist, an explosive narrative investigation of the generic drug boom that reveals fraud and life-threatening dangers on a global scale-The Jungle for pharmaceuticals Many have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true? Katherine Eban's Bottle of Lies exposes the deceit behind generic-drug manufacturing-and the attendant risks for global health. Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, Eban reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects. The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore, and are they worth the savings? A decade-long investigation with international sweep, high-stakes brinkmanship and big money at its core, Bottle of Lies reveals how the world's greatest public-health innovation has become one of its most astonishing swindles

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From an award-winning journalist, an explosive narrative investigation of the generic drug boom that reveals fraud and life-threatening dangers on a global scale— The Jungle for pharmaceuticals

Many have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true?

Katherine Eban's Bottle of Lies exposes the deceit behind generic-drug manufacturing—and the attendant risks for global health. Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, Eban reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects.

The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore, and are they worth the savings?

A decade-long investigation with international sweep, high-stakes brinkmanship and big money at its core, Bottle of Lies reveals how the world's greatest public-health innovation has become one of its most astonishing swindles.

"From an award-winning journalist, an explosive narrative investigation of the generic drug boom that reveals fraud and life-threatening dangers on a global scale--The Jungle for pharmaceuticals. Many have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true? [This book] exposes the deceit behind generic-drug manufacturing--and the attendant risks for global health. Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, Eban reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects. The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore, and are they worth the savings? A decade-long investigation with international sweep, high-stakes brinkmanship and big money at its core, Bottle of Lies reveals how the world's greatest public-health innovation has become one of its most astonishing swindles."--Provided by publisher Many have hailed the widespread use of generic drugs as one of the most important public-health developments of the twenty-first century. Today, almost 90 percent of our pharmaceutical market is comprised of generics, the majority of which are manufactured overseas. We have been reassured by our doctors, our pharmacists, and our regulators that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts, just less expensive. But is this really true? This book exposes the deceit behind generic-drug manufacturing - and the attendant risks for global health. Drawing on exclusive accounts from whistleblowers and regulators, as well as thousands of pages of confidential FDA documents, the author reveals an industry where fraud is rampant, companies routinely falsify data, and executives circumvent almost every principle of safe manufacturing to minimize cost and maximize profit, confident in their ability to fool inspectors. Meanwhile, patients unwittingly consume medicine with unpredictable and dangerous effects. The story of generic drugs is truly global. It connects middle America to China, India, sub-Saharan Africa, and Brazil, and represents the ultimate litmus test of globalization: what are the risks of moving drug manufacturing offshore - and are they worth the savings? -- Dust jacket How Does Criminal Law Affect Consumers? Peter Cartwright Considers The Role Of The Free Market In Consumer Protection And Asks Whether The State Should Intervene In The Relationship Between Consumers And Producers. He Considers Topics Such As Trade Descriptions And Product Safety, And Asks Whether Uk Law Should Go Further To Hold Traders (particularly Corporations) To Account For Their Activities Towards Consumers. This Is A Study Of The Role Of Criminal Law In Protecting Consumers And The Role Of Criminal Law In Society. Peter Cartwright Defends The Use Of Criminal Sanctions To Control Business, Highlighting Traditional Criminal Law Doctrine And Placing Consumer Law In Its Socioeconomic Context. This Is The First Book To Examine Criminal Law And Consumer Protection In This Way.--book Jacket. 1. Consumer Protection Rationales -- 2. Techniques Of Regulation -- 3. The Role Of Criminal Sanctions In Consumer Protection -- 4. The Use Of The Criminal Law -- 5. Consumers And Safety: The Protection Of Physical Integrity -- 6. The Protection Of Economic Interests -- 7. The Enforcement Of Regulatory Consumer Law -- 8. Conclusions. Peter Cartwright. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The nature of criminal law doctrines such as strict, corporate, and vicarious liability, and suggests that such doctrines require re-evaluation in the light of the reality of the corporate entity. This study will be of interest to academics, undergraduate and post-graduate students and practitioners.inciples of each device's operation and presents a block circuit diagram. Next he analyzes these 'real world' circuits in detail, and, finally, he discusses the present state-of-the-art. This approach will help to integrate the many different aspects of an electrical engineer's course work, from physical optics to digital signal processing, as never before. Very accessible and containing over 350 illustrations and many exercises To what extent should criminal law be used to protect the consumer? Peter Cartwright evaluates the role of criminal law sanctions in consumer protection from an economic and social perspective. In this important new study the author examines the rationales for protecting consumers, and considers the role that legal techniques play in fulfilling these. In addition, he analyzes criminal law doctrines such as strict, corporate, and vicarious liability, and suggests that they require re-evaluation. This study will be of interest to academics, undergraduate and post-graduate students as well as lawyers. Preface Acknowledgements List of abbreviations 1. Consumer protection rationales 2. Techniques of regulation 3. The role of criminal sanctions in consumer protection 4. The use of the criminal law 5. Consumers and safety: the protection of physical integrity 6. The protection of economic interests 7. The enforcement of regulatory consumer law 8. Conclusions Index. How does criminal law affect consumers? Cartwright considers issues of consumer protection, asking whether the state should intervene between consumers and producers. He considers topics including trade descriptions and product safety, and considers how far UK law should hold traders (particularly corporations) to account for their activities towards consumers