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When a company abuses us, its customers, we can buy from its competitor. But what if we are dealing with an entire industry, say the global pharmaceutical industry, made up of giant corporations that seem indistinguishable from each other? There's not much we can do, it turns out, except complain to our politicians. But the politicians are largely in the industry's pocket, says investigative journalist Jeffrey Robinson. "Because we cannot stop taking medication, we are asked to tolerate recklessness in the name of progress, to accept dishonesty in the name of research and development, and to turn a blind eye to greed in the name of shareholder satisfaction," he writes. The author of several fiction and nonfiction books, including
The Merger: How Organized Crime Is Taking Over Canada and the World, Robinson takes "Big Pharma" to task in his compellingly argued
Prescription Games: Money, Ego and Power Inside the Global Pharmaceutical Industry.
Much of the industry's research and production is focused on the tried and true medications that already generate enormous profits for the blockbuster medical problems like cancer, hypertension, and arthritis or "lifestyle" issues like impotence, depression, or baldness. Meanwhile, the majority of sick people on the planet—who suffer from malaria, river blindness, AIDS, and other serious diseases--have been ignored by pharmaceutical companies because they are not considered profitable markets. Furthermore, these same companies have managed to maintain high prices for their drugs (thus helping to cripple Canada's public health care system) by successfully manipulating governments into protecting their excessively lengthy patents. Robinson also details how Big Pharma has helped to corrupt medical research. In exchange for research dollars, he says, scientists are expected to write positive reports on new drugs.
Now these same corporations want the right to advertise their drugs directly to Canadians and thus bypass doctors entirely, as they are allowed to do in the U.S. Robinson's exposé makes a strong case for reining in this industry, and should interest anyone concerned about the state of health care in Canada and the world. --Paul Weinberg
Review
Acclaim for The Merger:“Robinson [is] a master storyteller.”
–Stevie Cameron
“[Robinson] writes with verve, a keen sense of anecdote, and an authoritative command of facts.”
–Andrew Allentuck,
Quill & Quire
“Robinson flays Big Pharma.”
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Toronto Star“[Robinson] covers his material well and, as a bonus, included substantial Canadian content.”
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Globe and Mail“Robinson reminds us what good journalism is supposed to be – well documented, well researched, and a well-written story.”
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New Brunswick Reader
