The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg [Kindle Edition]

Doug Bremner (Author)

Book Description

Accutane - the truth that had to be told

In 2001 Hoffman-La Roche's drug Accutane was selling in its billions worldwide as a treatment for acne. For those who suffered from extreme scarring acne, it was something of a miraculous treatment, however evidence started to mount that for others it was a death sentence. Over the next few years it was estimated that between 300 and 3,000 young people being prescribed Accutane since its launch had committed suicide or killed others.

In 2001 the father of young man in Ireland who had committed suicide approached Dr. Doug Bremner as Professor of Psychiatry & Radiology at Emory University to see if he could find a causal link between the drug and depression. His findings were that the drug did have an effect on the brain likely to cause acute depression in some patients, which was not surprising as it is a molecular cousin of Vitamin A which is known to cause depression in excessive quantities.

One might think that Hoffman-La Roche would have welcomed these findings. After all, no-one was doubting that Accutane was an extremely effective remedy in many cases, it was just that it appeared to have lethal side-effects in others.

You might like to think again on that one.

'The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg' is the account of what Hoffman-La Roche did next, which was to prosecute a determined, energetic and vindictive campaign against Dr. Bremner designed to suppress his findings and destroy his career and livelihood.

Nonetheless, Dr. Bremner persisted and Hoffman La-Roche have since withdrawn Accutane from the US market, not only for its potentially depressive effects, but also for the likelihood of its causing birth defects and stunting growth.

From the pen of the author of 'Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May Be Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won't Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed Drugs, Vitamins, and Supplements', this is a truly riveting and emotional read detailing just what it costs to take on the full might of one of the largest corporations in the world when you have never claimed to be a saint and have no desire to become a martyr.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is particularly scare because it is a factual account by Dr. Bremner and details the lengths that a pharmaceutical company, in this case Roche, will go to protect their cash cow, even though they were aware from early on that this drug could case people to kill themselves and others" - Leonie Fennell blog.

From the Author

In 2001 Hoffmann-La Roche's drug Accutane was selling in its billions worldwide as a treatment for acne. For those who suffered from extreme scarring acne, it was something of a miraculous treatment, however evidence started to mount that for others it was a death sentence. Over the next few years it was estimated that between 300 and 3,000 young people being prescribed Accutane since its launch had committed suicide or killed others.

In 2001 the father of young man in Ireland who had committed suicide approached Dr. Doug Bremner as Professor of Psychiatry & Radiology at Emory University to see if he could find a causal link between the drug and depression. His findings were that the drug did have an effect on the brain likely to cause acute depression in some patients, which was not surprising as it is a molecular cousin of Vitamin A which is known to cause depression in excessive quantities.

One might think that Hoffman-La Roche would have welcomed these findings. After all, no-one was doubting that Accutane was an extremely effective remedy in many cases, it was just that it appeared to have lethal side-effects in others.

You might like to think again on that one.

'The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg' is the account of what Hoffman-La Roche did next, which was to prosecute a determined, energetic and vindictive campaign against Dr. Bremner designed to suppress his findings and destroy his career and livelihood.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 395 KB
• Print Length: 230 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: That Right Publishing (June 23, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0057ZF1MK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,077 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #87 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Medical eBooks > Physician & Patient > Medical Ethics
  • #87 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Professional & Technical > Medical eBooks > Research

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg" June 28, 2011

By Garry Wilson

Format:Kindle Edition

I just finished reading "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg." I enjoyed it very much. What a journey Doug had. I should not have been surprised at how many medical and drug company professionals turned a blind eye to a dangerous drug for personal gain; but I was. I think most of us still believe most doctors and especially psychiatrists are altruistic. I guess doctors are not immune from human nature: people are reluctant to "kill the golden goose." I was also surprised that a major reputable drug company would continue to push a drug that might be leading to suicide. Even if you don't expect them to take a suspect drug off the market on moral grounds, selling drugs that may be killing people is very bad for business. After all, trust and Goodwill are fundamental to long term success. In this story Doug reminded me of Don Quixote: not a knight by profession, but someone who could not tolerate the way some scoundrels were treating Dulcinea -- who, by the way turns out to be much more than a metaphor in this story; but I don't want to ruin the surprise. Sometimes life presents us with real dragons. Maybe it's only then we find out what we're made of.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing - narrative took a turn and didn't come back February 29, 2012

By Mother Daughter Book Reviews

Format:Paperback

** The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg by Doug Bremner was provided to me free-of-charge by the author through the GoodReads, FirstReads Giveaway. Thanks! :) **

The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg chronicles the author's experience of the fallout of his research findings concerning the link between Hoffman-La Roche's drug Accutane (used primarily for acne treatment) and changes in brain function which were linked to depression and/or suicidal ideation or actions in those taking the drug. The author states that "between 300 and 3,000" young people being prescribed Accutane since its launch had committed suicide or killed others".

Also threaded throughout the book is the author's personal story of finding closure on a number of issues with regards to his mother, whom he lost as a young child. The author takes us along his journey of finding and reuniting with his mother's side of the family, putting her to rest, and uncovering details surrounding her life and death.

This book fell short of my expectations. I was keenly interested in reading a book about the inner workings of the pharmaceutical companies and how they are intertwined with the research community. The first few chapters showed promise as it was revealed that the author was a paid consultant for the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline - I really appreciated that disclosure. The next few chapters chronicled how he became involved in the Accutane case and the litigation and consequences for his career. It was pretty much what I would expect from a powerful pharmaceutical company (Hoffman-La Roche). I was not surprised, but I'll get back to this later in my review.

And then, it started falling apart for me. The author then begins the "related" narrative of the search for his mother's family. The remaining half of the book made me extremely uncomfortable. It felt like I was reading someone's personal journal. If there was a link to what I read and what I thought this book was going to be about (the research, the pharmaceutical company, the litigation, etc), it was tenuous at best. That's why I say that it fell short of my expectations. If the book had been marketed as the impact of what happened on the author with regards to his personal life, then I would have been primed for what the book was about. I just felt it was a bit too personal - not what I expected. Even as I re-read the description on the back of the book, I still think it doesn't describe the content of the book.

Then there's some issues with some of the content. In Chapter 65 (the before-to-last chapter), there is finally a resolution to the Accutane issue. The author receives a phone call from one of the lawyers to announce " `Roche just announced that they are taking Accutane off of the market.' " This is repeated on the next page in quotations by the author, " `It went from being a billion-dollar-a-year drug to being removed from the market in just a few years!' " Followed by his lawyer's response: " `Your research and speaking out went a long way to raising awareness about the risks of this drug.' "

I don't dispute that the author contributed (at much personal cost) to this resolution, but while Hoffman-La Roche did remove Accutane from the market, the patent expired in 2002. Several other drug companies, since that time, produce and sell generic versions of the same drug which, many believe, have the same side effects. So, where's the discussion about this?

While the author states that between 300 and 3,000 young people have committed suicide or killed others while taking Accutane, I think the number of birth defects and spontaneous abortions related to Accutane use (estimated to be roughly between 12,000 and 14,000) for example (there are many, many other serious side effects) is greatly underplayed especially with regards to the reason why it was finally pulled from the shelf (understanding that there were MANY reasons!)

Small thing...it raised eyebrows only because I have a similar condition; spondylitis is an inflammation of one or more of the vertebrae in the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis is the auto-immune disorder that the author refers to. Sorry, that's just my @nal-retentiveness coming out!

If the author is going to write about some very deep and personal feelings that he has about the people in his book, he leaves himself open to an analysis. As I read the book, I noted the negative feelings that frequently associated his interactions with the females in his life. For example, he refers to the Roche lawyer as a "b*tch"; he refers to his "step-grandmother" as his step-mother's mother, while his sister refers to her as "grandma"; he clearly has not attached to his step-mother as his "mom" even though she has been in his life since he was a young child; and he is honest about the tensions between himself and the women in his immediate family (his wife and daughter) while seemingly having no such issues with his son. I only mention this because again, it made me deeply uncomfortable to be reading this.

I mean the author no disrespect - he clearly went through a harrowing experience that had a significant impact on his life. My rating is based on the book falling short of my expectations. I just think the author could have focused more on information about the research, the world of academia, the relationships with the pharmaceutical companies, and some of the fallout with less about his personal journey to uncover his mother's history.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Profile in Courage August 13, 2011

By Bob Sims

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This isn't your typical science book. It's not stodgy or boring. It's a story about the lucrative drug industry, the FDA, and sophisticated chemical and psychological research in the scientific sense, sure. But, this book, "The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg," reads like a good mystery novel that happens to be true. It is an unflinchingly honest story of one man fighting an unscrupulous multibillion-dollar corporation -- with all its attendant skulduggery, cover-up attempts and threats to his family. But, what this book is, really, is a very moving, personal journey of self-discovery, akin to Thomas Paine's "a trial that tested men's souls."
In this case, the trial is Dr. Doug Bremner's. Bremner is an Emory University Professor of Psychiatry and Radiology who, in his research, discovers drug company Hoffman-La Rouche Laboratories' hot-selling "miracle drug" Accutane -- a medication for acne -- is not only being over-prescribed to teens, but is also a "causal link" for depression and suicides in alarming numbers in that age group.
Bremner bucks the tide of his money-grubbing, yes-men, academic-peer researchers and tells the truth when he discovers that Accutane is a very, very dangerous drug in his research. Bremner, then too, becomes dangerous: He is affecting the bottom line of a giant corporation.
The corporation, Hoffman-La Rouche, goes on the warpath to defend their questionable practices, pursuing every legal avenue to protect themselves, even going so far as to attack Bremner's squeaky-clean credibility. Bremner, one who normally shies away from controversy, remains true to himself and refuses to yield.
Bremner puts his personal life on trial in the process, too, questioning his own beliefs and fears -- centered around the sparse history of his deceased mom. His mom died unexpectedly when he was four years old, leaving Bremner with lingering anguish well into adulthood from the lack of closure and reasons why.
In the face of growing legal pressure from Hoffman-La Rouche, Bremner begins his Odyssey to discover and honor his mother's past.
In the end, Bremner's courageous personal journey also leads him to a successful outcome against Hoffman-La Rouche. In the telling of this story, Dr. Bremner's voice resonates for all the young people who most likely died from this drug's effects and prevents any more kids from being lost because of it.
"You know I've seen a lot of people walking around with tombstones in their eyes. But the pusher don't care if you live -- or you die. God damn the pusher man (written by Hoyt Axton, sung by Steppenwolf, 1969)."

More About the Author

J Douglas Bremner is a Professor of Psychiatry and Radiology in Atlanta, GA. He is a researcher, physician, blogger, and writer. He has authored nonfiction books on a range of topics from drug safety to mental health and genealogy, as well memoir and satire. He also writes screenplays, and recently wrote, produced and directed the feature comedy film "Catania!"