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The Poison Line

Life and Death in the Infected Blood Scandal

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Brought to you by Penguin.

The shocking true story of the infected blood scandal: the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, which saw people infected with HIV by a revolutionary medical treatment and a cover-up from governments and the multi-billion-dollar plasma industry.

Factor VIII was billed as a medical miracle when it was put on the market in the late 1960s: a revolutionary treatment that meant people with haemophilia no longer feared a bleed might prove fatal. But as the treatment was rolled out, haemophiliacs began to contract hepatitis and AIDS in terrifying numbers.

Even as medical bodies and pharmaceutical companies tried to discredit whistleblowers and diminish the evidence, it became abundantly clear that the miracle treatment was infected. Factor VIII was killing the very people it promised to protect. And government embarked on a cover-up on an industrial scale.

Award-winning investigative journalist Cara McGoogan follows the survivors-turned-campaigners, the small-town lawyers and the fearless journalists who took on some of the most powerful interests in the world to uncover what really happened in the infected blood scandal.

© Cara McGoogan 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

 Medicine & Health Care Industry Physical Illness & Disease Politics & Government True Crime Exciting

Critic reviews

Told with page-turning pace, a forensic grasp of detail and deep human compassion, The Poison Line is the gripping tale of a terrible scandal. It turns on the hubris of doctors, the folly of politicians and, above all, the greed of some of the world's biggest drug companies. At its centre, are the people - many of them children - who trusted those who promised to heal them and paid an unforgivable price for that trust. In telling their story, and laying bare a cover-up maintained over four decades, Cara McGoogan has done them - and all of us - an essential service (Jonathan Freedland, author of The Escape Artist)
Beautifully written, as vivid as it is light-fingered, this is also a devastating piece of reportage. Books are routinely described as extraordinary, but this one really is (John Preston, author of Fall)
In The Poison Line, Cara McGoogan masterfully unveils the depths of a scandal with precision and clarity. Through meticulous investigation and compelling storytelling, McGoogan not only brings to light the grave injustices suffered by victims but also underscores the vital importance of transparency and accountability in a world all too willing to hide uncomfortable truths. Her work serves as a beacon for those of us dedicated to uncovering facts in the service of justice and human rights (Eliot Higgins, author of We Are Bellingcat)
A revelatory work of non-fiction . . . The Poison Line renders personal tragedy on a mass scale: it’s a shuddering achievement (Simon Ings)
Factor VIII was supposed to be a miracle treatment for the clotting disorder haemophilia but instead became an agent of death . . . pharmaceutical companies, governments and medical bodies conspired to keep the global scandal under wraps, despite whistleblower evidence. A deeply shocking account of medical injustice (Anjana Ahuja)
This is a vital account of the infected blood scandal and subsequent cover-up, which caused enormous harm to so many people. The truth must be told, no matter how hard it is, for the system to change (Andy Burnham)
The motivation of the companies producing Factor VIII in the US was clear: profit . . . As McGoogan points out, the parallels with the present-day opioid crisis in the US are clear (Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite)
A powerful read . . . grounded as it is in emotive stories and dramatic language, while covering the more expansive international contexts in which medical decision-making takes place (Fay Bound Alberti)
All stars
Most relevant
I had to put this away multiple times because i was too angry and sad to listen any further. Great reporting, writing and narration. Would recommend!

Infuriating story

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I would like every person in Britain, the US and every other country where people were used as guinea pigs to prop up big pharma's profits, to read/listen to this book. The callous disregard for human life - in many cases children's lives - is absolutely gut-wrenching. Brava to Cara McGoogan for picking apart the evidence and creating such an eye-opening report. The way she weaves in the real stories of the people involved brought a tear to my eyes, many times. I hope the victims and their families will see justice.

"Scandal" doesn't even begin to describe it

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How the facts of this tragedy had been covered up by the government for so long is disgusting.

The truth comes out in the end.

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A story that everyone needs to know, not just because of the avoidable suffering and pain but as a warning from history given the current perilous state of the NHS and absence of moral character amongst our politicians and media.

Devastating account of hubris, abuse of power and human suffering

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This should be required reading, but the bored, raspy monotone of the author / narrator makes it hard to listen to for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Bored narrator ruins an important audiobook

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