American Overdose: The Opioid Tragedy in Three Acts

It was the FDA that stopped the approval of the use of thalidomide in the US in the 60's though it was expected to be a rubber stamp. From that strong moral position it is now funded by Pharma companies who "help" write legislation and define what a clinical trial should be, how the out come should be presented. As long as money is being made, who cares. Lets help big companies make lots of money and some of it will come my way, seems to be the attitude these days.As other reviewers have mentioned this book contains real stories from real people who go to a doctor as they have had an injury of some description, and are given such strong pain killers that they become addicted and no body cares. Anyone who complains to the public officials, who are their to protect and stand up for their interests, do nothing, because these officials rely on Pharmas money. If that isnt a corrupt system then what is?I couldn't put this book down. I wanted to hear how people faught back, how people tried to make a stand. As one of the people in this book said "if 50,000 dolphins a year died on the coast of the US, Congress would do somthing about it," so why, when 50,000 people die from such strong pain killers does every one just stand and watch.The whole sorry affair is laid out in this book and as i said you cant put it down. If this was a film you wouldnt believe it because you belive that people wouldn't behave like that, the authorities wouldnt let that happen. But they did, but as every big company who faces the loss of a market, just goes somewhere else, where do tobacco companies get their money from these days???? In the Uk there has been a rise in opiod use and addiction, we need to be careful or we will be going down the very same road. Learn from history or it repeats itself

This is a book about a tragedy caused by careless regulation: of medicines, of the selling of medicines and the prescribing of medicines. Over the past 100 years or so, people have become less tolerant of pain and discomfort and so have become easy prey when pain reduction expectations can be met with stronger and stronger meds. Covering the mal-administration of pain meds by the FDA, the book also takes us to the company that gamed the regulations for their own gain, thinking nothing of the wake of human tragedy left behind. It gives us deep insight into the behaviour of doctors and patients who together supplied and demanded these medications, creating a mutual dependency relationship that enriched the doctors and impoverished the patients. No where do we see the use of data monitoring to track early signs to trigger any review of the conduct of people who should have been paying attention to emerging trend data. And the story rumbles on. The book is a good primer on the subject.

Bought this 'used' and the description said it was in 'good' condition. In fact, it's in excellent condition, it looks brand new apart from a sticker on the outside cover. Would definitely buy used books from here again.The book is very interesting...and frightening how it escalated so quickly. Very easy to read. If you are interested in this subject, I recommend this book.

Unputdownable - brilliant telling of the appalling consequences of the failure to regulate big pharma over a twenty year period in the US, with a meticulously researched narrative drawing on individual stories as well as political and institutional actors. Really opened my eyes to this hidden story, a contemporary cautionary tale of the depravity of big companies in their pursuit of profits, which also explains the recent rise of synthetic drugs like fentanyl and their tragic consequences

After watching Dopekill, I had to learn more and this book certainly did that.A great book, which I read over a week, finding time between housework, working, before bed etcVery informative and as a healthcare professional, a true eye opener with regards the use of opioids for pain