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6 . 9 5 . 0 5 Bad Pharma Ben Goldacre
THE AUTHOR Dr Ben Goldacre Pharma has even failed cancer patients 100 is on a mission. The 600$ billion phar- by stopping trials early to make drugs look WORD maceutical industry, some doctors, regu- better. Trials can also be run longer than lators, medical journals, and whole gov- needed to fuzz data. Goldacre lists endless ernments should be trembling. Goldacre examples to buttress his arguments. ideas to wants to show the truth behind how our Companies spend double on marketing medicines are made. He wants transparent drugs compared to research. In the US change companies, properly informed patients, they can reach and influence consumers solid research, and cheap, effective drugs, directly irrespective of efficacy, price, or M A LTA preferably for all. need. Where direct marketing is banned, In typical Goldacre style, he rants. Ig- companies shift budgets and reach doctors nore the apparent chip on his shoulder. through drug reps, people whose job it is to His statements are thoroughly based on convince medics that their company’s drug An Alternative facts. The facts are shockingly scary. is the best. Pharma even disguises market- Currency Take the drug Tamiflu, the supposed ing as research fooling doctors and wasting miracle cure for flu. The pharmaceutical their time. Well-respected doctors are also company Roche made over €500 million paid handsomely to talk about products. by MARIO FRENDO in 2009 on the back of the swine flu scare. Apart from scandalous facts, Goldacre is The drug is known to reduce flu symp- a master of explaining science simply and Malta — a tiny Island, a minute social toms by a few hours, a hefty price tag for clearly. Chapter 2 has a great introduction reality, a precursory canovaccio of Eu- a spot of relief. Initially, Roche said that it on how drugs are made. He clearly explains ropean unification — has a unique as- reduces complications by 68%, amazing! the difference between relative risk or ab- set it ought to be prouder of: Culture. Though when the gold standard reviewer solute risk, or how bias and probability are For millennia our bonsai place has Cochrane started scratching the surface manipulated by pharmaceuticals. His lucid attracted a continuum of passing civ- they hit a brick wall. Roche refuses to style makes this book a great read and well ilisations leaving behind them a most publish data requested years ago and we recommended for anyone wanting to know colourful and diverse compendium of still do not know how effective it is. the dirty secrets behind pill manufacturing. customs, behaviours, artistic expres- Even regulators get it wrong by being Thankfully, Goldacre also suggests how sions, and intellectual attitudes. Mal- too business friendly or opaque. Diabetes it could be solved. My only advice is not ta’s investment in this unique legacy drug Rosiglitazone was recently taken off to debunk the whole system when read- should not be limited to conservation. the market after over 10 years of intimi- ing this book, remember the good stuff: It needs to be kept alive through con- dating researchers who published data life-saving antibiotics, disease eradicating stant support of the contemporary ex- against the drug in 1999. Rosiglitazone vaccines and much more. The current pression of its youth. This attitude will increases heart problems by 43%. Regu- system just needs some serious tweaking certainly transform our Culture into a lators failed to share data transparently, to remove the bad loop holes Big Pharma most effective and efficient currency of which slowed action, an endemic prob- exploit to meet profit margins. But drug change and growth. • lem. research has to go on.•
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