The Poison Line: Life and Death in the Infected Blood Scandal

by Cara McGoogan

The shocking true story of the infected blood the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, which saw people infected with HIV by a revolutionary medical treatment and a cover-up from governments and the multi-billion-dollar plasma industry.

'The Poison Line is the gripping tale of a terrible scandal' Jonathan Freedland, author of The Escape Artist

‘Books are routinely described as extraordinary, but this one really is’ John Preston, author of Fall
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Factor VIII was billed as a medical miracle when it was put on the market in the late 1960 a revolutionary treatment that meant people with haemophilia no longer feared a bleed might prove fatal. But as the treatment was rolled out, haemophiliacs began to contract hepatitis and AIDS in terrifying numbers. How safe was Factor VIII?

Even as medical bodies and pharmaceutical companies tried to discredit whistleblowers and diminish the evidence, it became abundantly clear that the ‘miracle’ treatment was infected. Before long, Factor VIII was killing the very people it promised to protect. And government embarked on a cover-up on an industrial scale.

Award-winning investigative journalist Cara McGoogan follows the survivors-turned-campaigners, the small-town lawyers and the fearless journalists who took on some of the most powerful interests in the world to uncover what really happened in the infected blood scandal.
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‘This is a vital account of the infected blood scandal and subsequent cover-up . . . The truth must be told’ Andy Burnham

'McGoogan's work serves as a beacon for those of us dedicated to uncovering facts in the service of justice and human rights' Eliot Higgins, author of We Are Bellingcat

'The definitive account of one of modern medicine's most chilling scandals' Gerald Posner, author of Pharma

Shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize 2024

A Financial Times and Prospect 2023 Book of the Year

Genres: Nonfiction, History

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2023

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply a brilliant book but for all the wrong reasons as it should never have needed to be written. I didn't understand just how awful the infected blood scandal was.

It is a harrowing story and at the heart of it is the human cost; for those still living but mainly for the thousands that have died and in such brutal and tortuous circumstances. To this day people are still seeking justice, in whatever form that may be to everyone this affected. They were unknowingly infected with HIV and/or hepatitis, used as guinea pigs, lied to, shunned... the list goes on and on. No-one has been held to justice in the UK.

I was heartbroken reading this book and read the last couple of chapters through floods of tears. Above all, I was very angry.

More people need to be made aware of this. TV dramas have been made about other scandals highlighting what happened. Not everyone reads a book and this deserves to be told to a wider audience.

[Kathy Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and compelling account of a shocking saga

Cara has distilled the series of events in a gripping book, one which i couldn't put down. The lies, obfuscation and callousness of the medico-pharma complex is a revelation. Sentenced to death, those poor people were just guinea pigs for financial exploitation by corrupt companies, doctors and politicians.

[Cecilia Garcia Schinkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shares the details about an impressive yet quite unknown medical scandal that global affected patients with severe hemophilia through a miracle medicine called factor VIII
The book contains many detail details and it’s quite lengthy and extensive , but the story is I said very impressive and important to know

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Day after day, doctors were at the end of the poison line - the final people with the power to make decisions that might have prevented infections. They could have stuck to cryo when they realized how rife hepatitis was; refused to use imported Factor VIII; petitioned the British government to prioritize self-sufficiency; avoided prophylaxis to reduce the amount that patients infused; given them an informed choice about their treatment; reacted more quickly to the first signs of AIDS; moved to heat-treated Factor VIII as soon as it was available. The benefits and convenience of the miracle treatment seemed so great it blinded doctors to its dangers.”

An exploration of the infected blood scandal that rocked the medical community in Britain (and internationally), in which children and adults infused with the medical treatment Factor VIII for haemophilia became infected with HIV and hepatitis. Despite concerns from doctors about the treatment being contaminated with deadly viruses, these were ignored by governments and pharmaceutical companies. Tragically, thousands of those infected died, and their relatives and the survivors began a decades-long campaign for justice. Despite the occasional grammatical errors, the book was well-researched.

[Tom Calvard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this right after reading Caroline Wheeler's book on the same topic. Wheeler deserves tremendous credit for supporting UK victims and breaking their stories over decades. Here, however, McGoogan comes in fresh and with the same determined journalism, but adding stronger storytelling and international perspectives.

There is no stone left unturned in this book, and it reveals the full scale of the scandal and tragedy as it unfolded across decades, along with as much as we can ever hope to know about potential cover-up, following the most recent stages with the official UK inquiry (2019-2023).

If societies and governments are to avoid history repeating itself with more terrible big pharma healthcare scandals involving thousands of preventable deaths, then this book and others like it should be required reading as a cautionary tale. McGoogan appropriately gives credit to all the victims, bereaved, lawyers, journalists, politicians, and activists who have campaigned so long for truth and justice, and by the same token she deserves credit too for producing this book about it all.

[Ceres · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're worried about not understanding difficult terminologies, just buy this book—Cara explains complex terms in an easily understandable way, so there's no need to worry.

The book strikingly balances discussions of intentional wrongful decisions of pharmaceutical companies and doctors, individual stories of how Factor VIII (a miracle drug that turned out to be a poison) affected haemophiliacs and the ensuing lawsuits. This blend made the reading experience so engaging that I never once felt bored.

I felt enriched with knowledge and completely satisfied. I am sincerely grateful that you even included a section titled "Responses from the Pharmaceutical Companies" at the end of the book, having personally reached out to them for comments on the Infected Blood Scandal.

As a future doctor, thank you, Cara McGoogan.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well researched and informative, and the individual people's stories told within were told with care and compassion.

I think this is such an important read, and so many things about this book resonated with me. The global focus on money and how to make more at the expense of people, distrust in those who are supposed to be acting in our best interests. Societies switching between derision or disinterest in those who are different or are seen as lesser. How broken everything is.

This book highlights so many key issues. Issues that in different forms are still occurring today. Books like this, that bring the voices of many into one powerful punch, may go some way to paving a path towards society being better. I hope, anyway.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d never heard of this tragedy until seeing a write up of this book in my local literary festival magazine. As a student nurse I felt like it was an area I should educate myself about! Expecting it to be a heavy read I didn’t think I’d be able to fly through it but I did. I think the author did a great job of guiding us through such a complicated global issue while giving the reader personal accounts of those impacted. I cried at multiple points 😭 and feel motivated to donate blood 🩸

[Nutkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another health scandal covered brilliantly. The author has written extensively in the press about the disgraceful use of infected blood products knowingly given to haemophiliacs and the immeasurable suffering caused. This book brings it all together in shocking detail and I am glad to have been educated about what has been covered up for so long.

[Joanna Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, such heartbreaking accounts of a tragedy that shouldn't of happened. Brilliantly written.

[Simon Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books about the infected blood scandal I've read. Well researched and well written.

[Suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shocking scandal - casual disregard for human life and prioritisation of profits.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely well researched, an important and interesting read.

[Charlotte Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning portrayal of an absolute travesty