The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About it, By Marcia Angell, Narrated by Kate Reading. (Read via Audible.com)

This book was a real eye opener was cutting through how the drug companies work. I did not realize how blatant the lack of early innovation comes from these large corporations. Most of the new products that we see today come from original research done by university sponsored by tax dollars.

I find it very odd that these people sponsored by pubic money can sell these patents, then the companies can charge top dollar for them, even though their costs don’t relate at all to the price of the drug. Take the triple-hit aids drug (forget the name) that was released. Its just ‘shocking’, to take a page out of Sean Connery’s book of how much money they made off it. 

This book actually goes very well with the fiction book: Chemistry for beginners by Anthony Strong. The reason why is the book presents the story of a Chemist/doctor actually developing a drug (albeit fictional). I can imagine how similar that book to relate to real life.

A thing I found really revealing is the way these people do a minor change to the compound then they get another patent on it, then have another 7-10 years of exclusively market it. I found this especially with anti-depressents. Most SSRI’s are essentially the same, where the placebo effect can be extremely high.

Finally what is most depressing in this book of how doctors get so deeply influenced by the marketing of these drugs, and how selective studies that are done. In more ways we all like to admit. The current drug study system works just as much as people running polls for political campaigns and trying to swing the information either way.

I love this book just for the fact that it forces you to think about the medical system differently. Yes, I do care about people. But I also care about efficiency, and quality.

10/10