Sickening

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

By: John Abramson

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 John Abramson (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

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.

Eye opening

For those who aren’t familiar with the inner workings of the pharmaceutical, medical, and insurance business in this country, this book is very much worth the read to understand that these companies do not have the best interest for the public’s health.

Very Important Information!

Every healthcare worker should read this book. Every patient should read this book. This level of capitalism does not work unless we educate ourselves.

Unfettered Capitalism Wins Again

I was unable to stop once I'd started this title. Enjoyed doesn't seem to be the appropriate term for the book but I am grateful to author for writing it. I learned a great deal. I must be naive because while I'm aware that there are shady business practices, the scale of big pharma's transgressions continue to flabbergast me. The author addresses very specific & deliberate incidents where pharma & peer reviewed medical journals presented treatments and information with profits being the only motivating factor. In recent years I've begun to fact check everything. I frequently use the medical journals as a resource and I now realize I cannot even rely on them. I do not understand how anyone can think the system as is with big business, lobbyists, political donations, PACs and the ultra rich holding most of the power is a good thing. Profit at any cost should not be what motivates our society. Back to the book; despite being an RN I was unaware of the neurontin/gabapentin research. I've been on this med for almost 20 years. I am going to see my Dr and discuss removing it from my repertoire. This book is important and I hope it gets people's attention. The cynic in me doubts it though.

No big surprise

I liked this book. If you are interested in this topic, there will be no surprises here. But that doesn't make any of it less disgusting. I liked how he used case studies of various drugs to make his points. I'm sure his publisher pushed the solutions section. I'm not sure how realistic they are but at least there are some ideas. Basically, big medicine and big pharma have made us extremely unhealthy and it's not getting better.

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.

it really was sickening

you'll go through all the stages of mourning except acceptance... what a terrible system

On Target: Evidence Based Medicine as Targeted ...

... by market forces focused on investor equity via corrupted science rather than correctly, efficacious medical breakthroughs requiring substantial training, support and long time horizons (Peter Medawar). Great listen despite occasional genuflection wrt COVID-19 'science' authorities.

Great book!

Lots of great information! He backed it all up with stats. Definitely worth the listen.