Šī grāmata atsedz farmācijas industrijas aizkulises un atklāj šokējošus faktus: korupciju, krāpšanos zāļu reģistrācijas procesā, negodīgu tirgvedību un nepietiekami pārbaudītu medikamentu izraisītas blakusparādības...Visu šo negāciju iemesls ir vienkāršs: nauda.
Vai zinājāt, ka... ...lielās farmācijas korporācijas ik gadu tērē milzu naudu, lai pārliecinātu ārstus parakstīt konkrētā uzņēmuma ražojumus? ...arī sabiedrībā pazīstami zinātnieki un ārsti dažkārt tiek piekukuļoti ar dārgiem ceļojumiem, dāvanām un naudu? ...ar daudzām zālēm ir veikti tikai īstermiņa klīniskie pētījumi? ...ir medikamenti, kuru reģistrācijā sava loma bijusi kukuļošanai? ...farmācijas industrija pati izgudro slimības un reklamē tās īpašās kampaņās, lai palielinātu medikamentu noietu? ...farmācijas industrija par saviem upuriem arvien biežāk izvēlas bērnus?
Dr. Džons Virapens 35 gadus strādājis dažādos starptautiskos farmācijas uzņēmumos. Savas karjeras augstākajā punktā viņš bijis uzņēmuma Eli Lilly Zviedrijas pārstāvniecības ģenerāldirektors. Dr. Virapens lieliski pārzina zāļu ražotāju izmantotās negodīgās tirgvedības metodes un zāļu reģistrācijas procesa netīro pusi. Kad sirdsapziņa un doma par mazā dēlēna nākotni vairs neļauj Virapenam klusēt, viņš saraksta šo grāmatu, kas katram liks padomāt divreiz, pirms ķerties pie kārtējās tabletes.
This book, written by a pharmaceutical industry insider, exposes many of the secrets that led to drugs with major side effects, like Prozac, to be approved and widely prescribed.
Born in Guyana (northeast South America) to Indian parents, Virapen found himself, in the 1960s, in Europe, hungry and homeless. He went to Sweden, to live with a woman he met in his travels. It was there that he got a job as a sales representative for Eli Lilly and Co. He visited local physicians, bringing them small gifts and other things and generally encouraging them to prescribe Eli Lilly drugs. He rose quickly through the ranks, eventually running the entire operation in Sweden. Virapen was very involved in getting drugs like Prozac approved, with a corresponding rise in the gifts given to doctors. They now ranged from expensive "scientific conferences" in exotic places to brothel visits, to outright bribery. This book is an attempt to atone for what he has done in the drug industry.
Virapen spends much of the book talking about Prozac. The drug industry has no problems with creating "diseases" like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), to get otherwise healthy people to think that they are sick, and need a pill (an expensive pill, of course). If a clinical trial is not going well; for instance, if Drug X works just as well as Prozac, a drug company can stop the trial, and switch Drug X with another drug against which Prozac works really well. There is no obligation to tell the Food and Drug Administration, or any of its foreign counterparts, about this. Clinical trials on psychotropic drugs, like Prozac, last a couple of months, at the most. There has been no attempt to study the effects of such drugs over years.
When it came time to get Prozac approved in Sweden, the information supplied by Eli Lilly was to be evaluated by an independent doctor, who would send his recommendation to the national authorities. Virapen’s job was to figure out who that doctor would be and find out what it would take to get that doctor to give a favorable opinion. Unfortunately, that doctor was very willing to be bribed, even helping Eli Lilly to write the report the "right" way. Virapen mentions case after case of normal, well-adjusted people who, after taking Prozac for a very short time, kill other people or themselves.
On the positive side, this is a very interesting book that shows the lengths to which drug companies will go to create new markets for their drugs. On the negative side, if there are to be future printings of this book, it really needs a trip, or another trip, to a copyeditor or proofreader.
Grāmata uzrakstīta interesanti un provokatīvi. Bet visu laiku nepameta doma, ka to raksta cilvēks, kurš visu savu mūžu ir nodarbojies ar apzinātu cilvēku krāpšanu un kukuļošanu. Un par to ir saņēmis lielu naudu. Cilvēks, kurš šo grāmatu sarakstījis pēc tam, kad pats no šīs farmācijas firmas, pret kuru vēršas, ticis negaidīti atlaists. Turklāt, šī grāmata amazon.com maksā sākot no 95 dolāriem (ja nav iebildumu lasīt jau lietotu). Šeit daļēji, manuprāt, ož pēc kārtējās izdevības Virapena kungam nopelnīt. Viņu nedaudz glābj tas, ka viņš ir studējis medicīnu. Savā ziņā savējais. No vienas puses, viņa aprakstītās problēmas tiešām pastāv un to droši vien es izjutīšu vairāk tad, kad pati uzsākšu savu ārsta praksi (jo pacients no manis nesanāk īpaši apzinīgs). No otras puses, kā viņš iedomājas, ka šīs problēmas ir risināmas? Lai tās novērstu, pārāk daudziem cilvēkiem ir jābūt godīgiem un neuzpērkamiem. Un tas jau utopiski un naivi. Lai neteiktu ko vairāk, manuprāt, šī grāmata jāizlasa katram medicīnas studentam, lai sevī iekšēji kaut nedaudz izlemtu savu nostāju pret medikamentu nepamatotu izrakstīšanu vai farmācijas firmu draudzīgumu. Turklāt, šī grāmata noteikti sajūsminās visas EKO un antivakcinēšanās māmiņas. Vēl viens iemesls ik pēc katras rindkopas kliegt, ka tas viss ir tikai bizness!
Terrifying book, one that makes man wonder when is enough money truly enough. Some of the elements laid out by the author are truly terrifying - way everything is done to achieve the goal of hoarding money on expense of patients worldwide.
I guess there will be critics of this books saying that things are exaggerated etc - but believe me, if only two percent of all the things author wrote in this book is true then it is extremely dangerous situation out there.
Interesanti par antidepresantiem, kas nevis ārstē depresiju, bet tieši to izraisa-pat līdz pašnāvībām. Un kā izrādās, neskatoties uz to, tiek izplatīti vēl joprojām, tostarp LV. Un bērniem tika izdomāta slimība- uzmanības deficīta sindroms, lai varētu vēl vairāk pelnīt. Mūsdienās zāles tiek pārdotas problēmām, kam nav nekāda sakara ar medicīnu.
If you have any trust left in Big Pharma, or think that depression is a matter of "chemical imbalance" which is fixed by the likes of SSRIs, I'd like to point you to this book.
Yes, this book will make people pay more attention to corruption in pharmacy/medicine field and find more information before taking next drug, BUT it is written unprofessionally and sometimes in very annoying way. I, as a person, who studies and works in this field, felt offended. Although author mentions that it does not apply to all people in this field but it felt that way. And it seemed that the general reason for writing this book was to get revenge to company who fired him.
There were mentioned few very interesting facts and few questionable facts, both I will research further (and maybe I will even update my review).
Overall: I would say it's worth reading this or any other book which touches this subject.
A book on bribery, inadequate trials, misleading publications and deaths being concealed in the pharmaceutical backstage. John Virapen tells his story quite honestly and passionate. I wished, however, he'd made it more clear that it is permissive laws that allow the terrible stuff to happen. People are corruptible and there isn't much we can do about it. Also, he made his point pretty early in the book, therefore the second half was a long soup. Favorite quote: " I loved returning home more than being at home."
This was an excellent book showing how corrupt the pharmaceutical industry is from someone on the inside. John did terrible things, the people he worked with did terrible things, and with this book he tries to right some of the wrongs he committed. He shows how bribery and research fraud are the mainstays of the pharmaceutical industry while the drugs they're promoting do nothing for the diseases and conditions they're marketed for.
Basically just WHAT??? You can sell a drug which has literally NO positive effect and people commit suicide because of it? I don't want to live on this planet anymore.