Sickening

How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It

By: John Abramson

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

The inside story of how Big Pharma’s relentless pursuit of ever-higher profits corrupts medical knowledge—misleading doctors, misdirecting American health care, and harming our health.

The United States spends an excess $1.5 trillion annually on health care compared to other wealthy countries—yet the amount of time that Americans live in good health ranks a lowly 68th in the world. At the heart of the problem is Big Pharma, which funds most clinical trials and therefore controls the research agenda, withholds the real data from those trials as corporate secrets, and shapes most of the information relied upon by health care professionals.

In this no-holds-barred exposé, Dr. John Abramson—one of the foremost experts on the drug industry’s deceptive tactics—combines patient stories with what he learned during many years of serving as an expert in national drug litigation to reveal the tangled web of financial interests at the heart of the dysfunction in our health-care system. For example, one of pharma’s best-kept secrets is that the peer reviewers charged with ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the clinical trial reports published in medical journals do not even have access to complete data and must rely on manufacturer-influenced summaries. Likewise for the experts who write the clinical practice guidelines that define our standards of care.

The result of years of research and privileged access to the inner workings of the U.S. medical-industrial complex, Sickening shines a light on the dark underbelly of American health care—and presents a path toward genuine reform.

Exposing the troubles with big pharma!

Like the exposure of the dishonest testing and advertising by the pharmaceutical industry. Disappointed in the author's praise of the vaccines, masking and social distancing all of which have been shown to be ineffective and unnecessary. He also seems to be a fan of Fauci who is the tip of the spear of this whole pharma debacle.

The deep truth of Bad Drugs

I appreciated the truth and the insight into this health crisis in America. I also appreciated the understanding of how Congress and the executive branch of government have been co-opted by big Pharma. I especially appreciate his solutions.

Must Read or Listen!

This is an eye-opening and shocking read! I have been working as an RN for years sacrificing for others, but also have a family with medical needs, and this just blows my mind. That the sources I have come to rely on for information are commercially compromised makes sense when always stuck at the endpoint of “how is this patient going to ever be able to afford this?”. And when you look at the rationale for cost, is it in short supply? No. Is it hard to manufacture and transport? Does not seem to be as it is on your television screen every other hour which is something you don’t do if you have core issues. It’s just a blatant bullying of people who need truth not robbery. Wow. Spelled out very clearly and the book takes you through a systemic injustice step by step that leaves you wondering how many other things might be misled in this current capitalist state. Scary.

Finally some real insight

It is disheartening to get the evidence of what our guidelines and practice insights are based on. As physicians we try to do the best for our patients, obviously big pharma has another idea. Over the years I have taken many women off of statins for lack of evidence of benefit in primary prevention at the risk of upsetting my referral source, but right is right.
Glad this book agrees, hopefully someone has the guts and political will power to stop having big pharma make us sick. Great book, excellent read for all physicians and patients.

Public beware of the direction of our healthcare

I really appreciated the authors, knowledge and appreciation of healthcare in the United States and the direction in which it is being propelled rapidly by big Pharma, big insurance, etc. This book is eye-opening. I really wish that some of this material would be available to the public, and that they would open their eyes and not merely be led by Mainstream media who is largely not completely subsidized by big Pharma, etc. I knew much of the problems that he discussed but again wish that more people were aware of what big business is doing to our healthcare. We have fallen from one of the best and healthiest countries in the world to not now even in the top 50.