Pharmageddon First Edition

by David Healy (Author)

94 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0520275768

ISBN-10: 0520275764

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This searing indictment, David Healy’s most comprehensive and forceful argument against the pharmaceuticalization of medicine, tackles problems in health care that are leading to a growing number of deaths and disabilities. Healy, who was the first to draw attention to the now well-publicized suicide-inducing side effects of many anti-depressants, attributes our current state of affairs to three key factors: product rather than process patents on drugs, the classification of certain drugs as prescription-only, and industry-controlled drug trials. These developments have tied the survival of pharmaceutical companies to the development of blockbuster drugs, so that they must overhype benefits and deny real hazards. Healy further explains why these trends have basically ended the possibility of universal health care in the United States and elsewhere around the world. He concludes with suggestions for reform of our currently corrupted evidence-based medical system.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Healy’s contrarian streak and sharpness make this a disturbing, well-documented indictment that echoes many others in recent years, and one worth heeding.”

(Publishers Weekly 2012-01-30)

“Powerful. . . . Healy exposes the secrets that enable drug companies to circumvent protections. . . . And he also offers a solution.”

(Human Givens 2012-12-01)

"We owe respect to David Healy for his knowledge, diligence and idealism. This and his other writings require expertise and courage..."

(E. James Lieberman Metapsychology Online Reviews 2014-03-11)

From the Inside Flap

"This meticulously documented book makes extraordinary claims with far-reaching intellectual and practical ramifications. It is the most powerful critique of the contemporary medical-industrial complex that I know."―Andrew T. Scull, author of Hysteria and Madness: A Very Short Introduction

“This book shines a bright light on the pharmaceutical industry (and American healthcare) in the same way that Silent Spring called out the chemical industry and Unsafe at Any Speed called out the automobile industry. Pharmageddon is Healy's most important book to date. It will make a real contribution toward healing our sick system of pharmaceutical-driven medicine and helping doctors provide better care for their patients.”--Elizabeth Siegel Watkins, author of The Estrogen Elixir and On the Pill

“In this startling book, David Healy argues that 'evidence-based' medicine―and a healthy dose of corrupt science―has led modern medicine off a cliff. His book is provocative, challenging, and informative, and ultimately it serves as a powerful manifesto for rethinking modern medicine.”--Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America

"Like a good detective story, Pharmageddon weaves together the history of modern medicine, the evolution of clinical trials and statistical analyses, changes in international patent laws, privatization of clinical research, blurring of the line between academics and industry, and the enabling role of medical journals. If you want to learn how to protect yourself (or your patients) from medical commercialism and how medical practice can be re-directed back toward its true mission, this book is a must read."―John Abramson, author of Overdosed America

From the Back Cover

This meticulously documented book makes extraordinary claims with far-reaching intellectual and practical ramifications. It is the most powerful critique of the contemporary medical-industrial complex that I know.--Andrew T. Scull, author of Hysteria and Madness: A Very Short Introduction

"This book shines a bright light on the pharmaceutical industry (and American healthcare) in the same way that Silent Spring called out the chemical industry and Unsafe at Any Speed called out the automobile industry. Pharmageddon is Healy's most important book to date. It will make a real contribution toward healing our sick system of pharmaceutical-driven medicine and helping doctors provide better care for their patients."--Elizabeth Siegel Watkins, author of The Estrogen Elixir and On the Pill

"In this startling book, David Healy argues that 'evidence-based' medicine--and a healthy dose of corrupt science--has led modern medicine off a cliff. His book is provocative, challenging, and informative, and ultimately it serves as a powerful manifesto for rethinking modern medicine."--Robert Whitaker, author of Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America

Like a good detective story, Pharmageddon weaves together the history of modern medicine, the evolution of clinical trials and statistical analyses, changes in international patent laws, privatization of clinical research, blurring of the line between academics and industry, and the enabling role of medical journals. If you want to learn how to protect yourself (or your patients) from medical commercialism and how medical practice can be re-directed back toward its true mission, this book is a must read.--John Abramson, author of Overdosed America

About the Author

David Healy is Professor of Psychiatry at Cardiff University in Britain and a former Secretary of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. He is the author of books including Let Them Eat Prozac: The Unhealthy Relationship Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression, The Antidepressant Era, and Mania: A Short History of Bipolar Disorder.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; First edition (March 12, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520275764
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520275768
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #594,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #101 in Health Policy (Books)
- #106 in Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Industry (Books)
- #135 in History of Medicine (Books)

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94 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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David D.

Food for nightmares

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2017

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A fascinating but damning indictment of the pharmaceutical industry and its compromised regulation. I'm surprised we don't hear more about this sorry state of affairs in the mainstream media. Then again, while Big Pharma have not been so good at producing new or safe drugs over the last few decades, they have been very successful at silencing their critics, and they enjoy immense budgets when it comes to advertising and PR. In fact, most of them now spend more on marketing than they do on research and development, which speaks volumes. It is incredible how many old drugs get rehashed and re-marketed for different purposes, even when they are known to be unsafe or ineffective. Medical professionals should read this book. Sadly, the majority of drug training most of them receive is from pharmaceutical representatives! The expression 'foxes in the hen house' springs to mind. Moreover, a lot of doctors are in the pay of Big Pharma as 'Influencers' or 'Thought Leaders'. In other words they are paid under the counter to push drugs, and they are not obliged to declare this immoral clash of interests. It is important to note that Healy is not anti-drug. They have their place. However, there is no escaping the fact that Big Pharma today represents many of the worst aspects of crony capitalism.

8 people found this helpful

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Sue Freivald

What you don't know CAN hurt you.

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2018

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Particularly in the light of the school shootings - which all seem to have a pharmacology connection, Dr. Healy's book is especially timely and pertinent. He opens a window into the actual processes involved in testing and getting approval for drugs. The unintended consequences and the life-changing side effects that are not either well known, or even when well known, made known to the consumer can be horrific. Read it. Protect yourself and your loved ones. I have purchased over a dozen copies over the past few years to share with friends and family. As a retired health care professional, I can attest to the accuracy of his assessments. Protect yourself. Educate yourself. Pharmageddon is a good start.

One person found this helpful

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Educated consumer

Wow Wow Wow Nice surprise!

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019

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I read his other books too, so I thought this book will only cover psychotropic medicine, but no, he goes to all the medicine development history!
And he still managed to make the book very thrilling and interesting to read like a science fiction! It was so fascinating and gave me more insight of the modern medicine, and protect myself and my loved one.
I really appreciate the author to do all the research and the effort to make it simple, so that was easy to understand for non-medical field people.

One person found this helpful

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Stuart Shipko

Elegantly describes the dysfunctional aspects of pharmaceutical based research reports and marketing.

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2014

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Well referenced and also with abundant common sense and strong historical background, this is a book elegantly describes the dysfunctional aspects of pharmaceutical company research and marketing..

It is unique that he writes about the behavior of the practicing physicians, referred to as primary consumers. While the drug companies provide tainted research data, and no raw data at all, to prove efficacy, physicians have blindly accepted directives based on poor data.. However, physicians have been so conditioned to follow "evidence" based directives that they don't think to weigh possible adverse effects into clinical decision making.. Healy describes the physicians as hypnotized. He is so right, and this is so frightening. While a psychiatrist, Healy shows how this is happening in specialties besides psychiatry.

I loved the rich historical perspectives and the story telling of events leading into our current Pharmageddon. To his credit, he does not just point out the problem: he is part of the solution : His RxISK.org website helps patients and their doctors to research and report drug side effects - providing an alternative source of evidence, in our evidence based medicine era.

Its a good read.

9 people found this helpful

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Sandra

Revealing what really goes on with pharmaceuticals

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2014

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David Healy wakes you up to the realities of drugs. How every aspect associated with them is about corporate profit, and how masterfully the public is manipulated. For the most part, particularly with blockbuster drugs, they do not do what we are taking them for - and the pharma companies KNOW this. The corporations take regulations intended to protect the public and twist them around completely, so that the companies are able to use marketing practices that deceive both doctors and patients. After reading this book, I'm even more positive that I will never take drugs that are designed to prevent/manage chronic health conditions. It's all about the money.

8 people found this helpful

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N. Herrell

Could have used some editing but otherwise decent food for thought

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2019

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I don't know how a serious book makes it through the editing process with run-on sentences that fill up half a page, but it happens. Winding, unnatural sentences are a source of frustration throughout the book, but if you can power through, most of the content is interesting enough. The ugly realities of pharma and the failure of attempts to fix it, basically.

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Top reviews from other countries

Dave

First class book that deserves to be widely read and contemplated

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2016

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As a retired doctor who has sat on formulary committees and been an "expert adviser" to the Scottish Medicines Consortium I believe this book makes an important and informative contribution to health care. It describes how medicines are marketed, how benefits can be exaggerated and how adverse effects can be hidden with many important illustrative examples of drugs that are or have been in widespread use. He also explores and advances how evidence-based medicine and guidelines can be generated to the detriment of public health. It is slightly repetitious but makes an important contribution to understanding how new medicines may not be all that they seem when they are marketed. It is well referenced and also gives a useful historical perspective on the advancement of medicine over the last 150 years. This is a book that should be read by many groups from health care workers, those on medicines committees local and national, patient groups, politicians and civil servants charged with health-care through to those in the media that report on medical advances and are an important interface with the public.

10 people found this helpful

M. Stonitsch

David Healy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2013

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I have recommended this book to some of my friends because it explains how Psychiatry and Pharmaceuticals have worked together for decades - for better or worse. It has changed my life. I am free of doubts now.

I have begun to wonder if my mother's initial Alzheimer's diagnosis took into account her anxiety medication or the post traumatic stress of WW2. She also took corticosteroids for asthma (anxiety induced or possibly as a result of working in the textile industry in the 1950s and 1960s and calcium medication for osteoporosis). She also took part in a clinical trial for Aricept.

6 people found this helpful

Norman Marks

A comprehensive summing up of what is wrong with medicine today

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

I read this book whilst for preparing for participation in a discussion panel about corruption in Big Pharma, amd it really helped clarify my many disjointed thoughts on the matter.

David Healy's book is a compreshensive summing up of all that is wrong with modern medicine. He shows, how, in under a century, medicine has gone from being a personal, wisdom based and humane practice to a massive techo-industry called Healthcare. He demonstrates the evolution of Big Pharma and it's increasing hold it has over how medicine is conducted globally. For every measure put in place to try a restrain the insideous power of industry: the creation of standards for research; evidence based medicine; or regultaing agancies like the FDA, Big Pharma has found ways to co-opt these measures to meet their own ends. These ends, are purely about financial gain and maximizing shareholder profits. Patient health and safety is rarely a going concern.

The power of Big Pharma operates at a number of connected levels, e.g the conduction and publication of biased research, using ghost writers to write copy for them whilst putting a handsomely paid medical experts name on the paper, influencing medical journals as well as the wider media, infiltrating patient groups, lobbying and influencing government and marketing, masinly to doctors.

This book confirmed all I already suspected and as another reviwer has stated dispelled all doubts that the situation might be otherwise. Is there anything that can be done to stop this? David Healy feels this is up to all of us, but provides no concrete solution, except to say the power is with the consumer.

A must read for healthcare providers and consumers alike.

4 people found this helpful

theconstantgardener

Every patient and doctor should read this

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2013

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They bring to market drugs which have been the subject of clinical trials which are just enough to get approval from the regulatory authorities and then they use various techniques to ensure that they are prescribed and used in large quantities. All this is described in the book.
Healey does not write with the clarity that I had expected, maybe he is too passionately involved, but his message is still very powerful. All of us should beware of the effect of the drug companies on our society. The way guidelines have been developed means that all of us risk being turned from well people into worried patients with DIS-ease as the companies influence guidelines and create new diseases.

4 people found this helpful

ken willims

An amazing book which everyone who takes regualar standard medication should read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

A well referenced and clearly explained book. Dr. Healey describes in detail the situation into which the health of our nation is being compromised by the stranglehold which the "drug companies" have established in a relentless pursuit of profit from their "blockbuster" drugs which they develop, provide the sole trials and then manipulate the data into misleading publication written by Ghost writers, albeit seemingly endorsed by eminent medical persons.
Ken Williamjs

3 people found this helpful

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