Customer Reviews

Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply

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Katherine Eban, Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply (Harcourt, 2005)

Have you ever taken a medication and felt no effect, or far less effect than you expected to have? Put it off to building up a tolerance? Yeah, me too. After reading this, however, I have to wonder.

The four-hundred-odd pages of Dangerous Doses fly by rather quickly for a piece of nonfiction; Eban takes you inside the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the South Florida interdepartmental task force aimed at bringing down those who would tamper with America's drug supply for personal gain. What I (and, I'm sure, many other readers) didn't expect, though, is just how much work the Horsemen had (and still have, in many cases, as of this writing) ahead of them. It would seem that counterfeit prescription medication is not a few isolated cases here and there we hear on the news, but a very, very big business that has reached its tendrils into most every state in the Union and affects untold billions of dollars' worth of merchandise. (The book's biggest shock, for me, came when one of the drugs mentioned is one I actually take.)

This is scary stuff. It's not just highly recommended because piece of nonfiction this readable are rare birds indeed, but because this is something you need to know about, especially if you or your family members take prescription drugs. Get it. Read it. ****

This book was riveting and exposed the underbelly of the world of pharmaceutical drugs and criminal that have thrived in it. The book details counterfeiting of life sustaining prescription drugs, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, diversion and mishandling of sensitive drugs, and how they end up in the normal distribution network to arrive on the shelves of the nations drug stores.

This book recounts in exacting detail the adulteration of the critical drugs needed by cancer and other critically ill patients, the result of a investigation by a group of dedicated Florida policemen and the author. This fact-driven, exhaustively researched, and beautifully written account is a compelling read, and one which (as an academic physician and cancer specialist) I found impeccable. It is an essential book for anyone for whom the integrity of our medications are important--which is everyone in this country.

If it's a medical investigative thriller - true life - which is needed, look no further than Katherine Eban's Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply. Stolen, counterfeit and compromised medicines are making their way into a poorly regulated American distribution system, Eban maintains. Her exploration of investigations into drug counterfeiters makes for powerful first-hand reporting as she follows a team of dedicated investigators trying to stem the flow.

The author, with a background in medical investigative reporting, presents an interesting "story" whose main theme is that wholesale distribution of medicines has serious problems, counterfieting drugs, stealing-and-reselling drugs, to name a few. While the story is well researched, the narrative style of the book (almost like a Robin Cook medical thriller) is a little distracting to the main theme. While the "fictional narrative" approach can certianly keep the readers engaged, its sheer pace (compliment) in this context appears to mute the main points the author wants to make. Nevertheless, the book raises some serious concerns and provides a significant starting point for anyone interested in understanding issues related to the 'medical supply chains'. A good read.

This is a shocking, heartbreaking account of how one of our 'sacred cows'- the prescription drug industry- is really a corrupt breeding ground for low-end criminals and petty corruption. But at its core, and what makes the book such a great read, are the human stories- the stories of the victimized, and the stories of the five investigators who fight at all costs to expose what is happening. Well researched and highly recommended.

This book is astounding. Told as a thriller, it shows why, unbelievably, your pharmacist cannot tell you where your prescription drugs have come from - they have no idea.

One of many great reviews out there - this one in Salon.com - by Katharine Mieszkowski:
"They call themselves the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and they hold meetings at Hooters. Their uniforms consist of black polo shirts emblazoned with a pack of horses flanking the Grim Reaper, who's wielding a scythe. One Horseman's name is Venema, which rhymes with "enema." But he prefers his code name: Ice Station Zebra. These dubious characters are the good guys in "Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America's Drug Supply," by Katherine Eban, an expose that wades into more rank Florida unseemliness than a Carl Hiaasen novel, and easily boasts three times the number of sleazebag villains...
Eban mostly lets this stranger-than-fiction cast of characters tell the story, which makes it engaging, even though it's essentially about government failure. The real cause of the corruption of the drug supply isn't the money to be made. It's a weak regulatory system, which doesn't require complete proof of the route a drug takes from its manufacturer to the pharmacist. That opens the door for all kinds of shenanigans among the colorful, corrupt middlemen. The drug industry lobbyists say it would be unduly expensive to keep such records, and that they aren't necessary, even as Operation Stone Cold uncovers more and more stolen, fake and mishandled medicine. And the government continues to buy that argument, even after no lesser force than Gov. Jeb Bush convenes a grand jury to look into the matter. (What it turns up is horrifying to all involved.) ..."

This is a book about an terribly important story--how our most expensive and important medicines are being counterfeited and debased and then sold by good pharmacies to unsuspecting citizens. But it is also a wonderfully exciting read, the kind of narrative nonfiction that doesn't come along very often. The author tells of a rag-tag group of investigators who have personality to spare, and an amazing young DA who decided to go after the counterfeiters in southern Florida. It's an exciting chase story, with lots of personality and humor.
Even though the theme is scary, the story is riveting.

As a Professional working in the Pharmaceutical business and living in the State of Florida, I can identify very well with the contents of this book.A great deal of bureaucratic barriers are set causing obstacles to efficiently operate our Pharmaceuticals within State Law.The Investigators listed in this book were committed, determined, tireless and underpaid servants of the State, that worked in a system that was largely unappreciative and at times seen unorganized.Dangerous Doses is a very scary and real story about the importance of regulating and overseeing the buying and selling of drugs.I highly recommend this book, because of its informative and real look into the world of counterfeit drugs. Remember this effects us in one way or another.

This information is very important to take into account when purchasing pharmceuticals. If you are currently a pharmaceutical buyer for any hosipital,clinic or retail chain it is your duty to become as educated as you can for the safety of your patients. This will change your thinking when purchasing pharamceuticals.