Pharma cover art

Pharma

Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

 Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Gerald Posner reveals the heroes and villains of the trillion-dollar-a-year pharmaceutical industry and delivers “a withering and encyclopedic indictment of a drug industry that often seems to prioritize profits over patients” (The New York Times Book Review).

Pharmaceutical breakthroughs such as anti­biotics and vaccines rank among some of the greatest advancements in human history. Yet exorbitant prices for life-saving drugs, safety recalls affecting tens of millions of Americans, and soaring rates of addiction and overdose on pre­scription opioids have caused many to lose faith in drug companies. Now, Americans are demanding a national reckoning with a monolithic industry.

“Gerald’s dogged reporting, sets Pharma apart from all books on this subject” (The Washington Standard) as we are introduced to brilliant scientists, incorruptible government regulators, and brave whistleblowers facing off against company exec­utives often blinded by greed. A business that profits from treating ills can create far deadlier problems than it cures. Addictive products are part of the industry’s DNA, from the days when corner drugstores sold morphine, heroin, and cocaine, to the past two decades of dangerously overprescribed opioids.

Pharma also uncovers the real story of the Sacklers, the family that became one of America’s wealthiest from the success of OxyContin, their blockbuster narcotic painkiller at the center of the opioid crisis. Relying on thousands of pages of government and corporate archives, dozens of hours of interviews with insiders, and previously classified FBI files, Posner exposes the secrets of the Sacklers’ rise to power—revelations that have long been buried under a byzantine web of interlocking companies with ever-changing names and hidden owners. The unexpected twists and turns of the Sackler family saga are told against the startling chronicle of a powerful industry that sits at the intersection of public health and profits. “Explosively, even addictively, readable” (Booklist, starred review), Pharma reveals how and why American drug com­panies have put earnings ahead of patients. Social Sciences Inspiring

Critic reviews

"Jacques Roy's consistently clear performance of Posner's audiobook is appropriate for its tone. Posner's research into the pharmaceutical industry is unsparing. Listeners are guided through the history of an industry that routinely seeks profit over public interest. Key details are covered: Why are there so many variants to over-the-counter painkillers? How did Oxycontin become so popular despite demonstrable public harm? Posner's research is exhaustive and provides damning insights. ('Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli was publicly vilified in 2015 for raising a vital drug's cost from $13 from $750, but that price remains unchanged.) Roy's approach to this work provides a neutral yet engaging tone for its information on the nature of this controversial industry."
All stars
Most relevant
Brilliant book well documenting the origins of many of the big pharma firms of today and a number of blockbuster drug discoveries of the past 100 years or so. Some really quite fascinating parts and it’s clearly been very well researched. Great narrating too, which is always a bonus. Would recommend.

Fantastic and excellently researched book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.