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| Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs | 
 enlarge | Author: Melody Petersen
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $12.49
You Save: $13.51 (52%)
New (36) Used (9) from $12.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 30662
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0374228272
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.4761510973
EAN: 9780374228279
ASIN: 0374228272
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: -BRAND NEW- DIRECT FROM DISTRIBUTOR- LIGHT SHELFWEAR- NO REMAINDER MARK
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| Customer Reviews:
Good, But Better Reported Already! April 26, 2008
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
Petersen does a good job of reporting drug company machinations. These include their preference for creating "Me Too" drugs that often are not as effective as those already on the market, lobbying and manipulations to extend patent protection and block cheaper versions made in other nations, extensive TV marketing to patients, putting physicians on their payroll to endorse products, broadening markets (eg. getting frequent "goers" to use a drug developed for those with incontinence) - instead of developing more effective drugs for rampant diseases in underdeveloped areas of the world and serious, less prevalent maladies in the U.S.
The problem with "Our Daily Meds," however, is that it is a story already much better and more credibly told by others - particularly Marcia Angell's "The Truth About Drug Companies," and especially John Abramson's "Overdosed America."
 Excesses in the past April 10, 2008
14 out of 79 found this review helpful
Did certain companies go to extremes? Yes, but not all did. There is a lot of good expose' type stuff in this book. The biggest problem is that almost all of the information comes from the 90's and contains virtually nothing since 2002. That is six years ago. Since then, the FDA has taken a lot of step to clean up the excesses. No mention of this or the good that drugs do to help keep millions alive and well today.
There is an alternative to the "the sky is falling" crowd - stop taking the medications and see how you feel in a month (if you're still alive). The taking of medication is strictly voluntary. Don't blame others.
One-sided and anecdotal May 19, 2008
9 out of 41 found this review helpful
It's easy to criticize an industry's flaws, and even easier to become incensed at the apparent callousness of big pharma when they aggressively market their trade. You hear about all the bad sensationalist news -- Vioxx killing people, side effects with Lipitor, and the drugs leaking into our lakes and streams (here I wondered why Petersen didn't go after Palmolive and the soap companies for their antibiotic antibacterial soaps, a much larger contamination than a few pills). It sounds like the world is coming to an end, but at least Pfizer stock will double.
But in my opinion, like any other drugs on the market, the ultimate long-term arbiter of any drug company's success is the effectiveness and safety of its drugs, and the promises it makes to its users. If a drug company promoted an unsafe drug, it pays for it in the end, by lawsuits, public outcry, and physicians on the front line trying to save lives not using it. The stock drops, billions in market cap are erased a la Merck and Pfizer, and the companies either go under or revise their marketing strategies and efforts to be more sensitive to safety in the future. It's definitely not perfect; it's reactionary and should be improved by more detailed regulation and scientific merit to mitigate the cause before we have the effect.
But the flipside is we don't get Lipitor or any of the dozens of medicines that have helped countless people, because hanging these companies on the cross means hanging the researchers that, for the most part, tirelessly work to find cures for us, along with the unscrupulous drug salesmen and doctors on the pharma tab. These companies aren't faceless and uniformly corrupt; people like you and I also work there and create drugs to help their families.
Finally an anecdote: My father was on the team that discovered AZT (albeit for cancer, which wasn't effective); Upjohn then took it for AIDS giving no royalties to anyone and made millions. Was that ethical? No. But the fact is without grants which the pharma guys helped to contribute, I doubt we would have AZT today. I don't think we want to go down that road, nor do we want the FDA to simply continue to stall promising drugs in the pipeline (what happened to all the stories about the terminally ill people who COULDN'T get drugs they wanted b/c of the slow US process?).
The fact is it's easy to blame the pharma companies, and yes, they aren't saints and have much to improve, just like it was easy to blame GM for its side saddle gas tanks when Dateline NBC put explosives on the car to make it burst into flames on impact. I am just pointing out that I never 100% trust any report, simply because we don't know anyone's true agenda(s). Each side has their demons, and the truth is always somewhere in between.
Ms. Petersen should have learned in journalism school that a balanced account that shows both sides of the argument rather than scare tactics about how these guys are out to pollute our minds and environment will enlighten the reader more and give him/her more incentive to go out and research themselves and ask their doctors questions. Accountability and responsibility for our own well-being starts with each of us.
Finally, I will say I am biased against Melody's book since it nearly ruined my marriage by getting my wife bent out of shape about how nasty these pharma companies are, to the point that she wouldn't listen to any other view(s). Thus, maybe I should go on Lipitor since my BP just spiked to 170-120. I'll let you know after I do a little research on my own, ask my doctor a few questions, maybe get a second opinion as well. Just not from your book.
 Finally, the truth! May 27, 2008
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
We all owe a large debt to Ms Paterson for this book. After many years of research, she has written this book which should be in every home in the country.The drug industry is out of control. We are all at risk because of the greed of the pharmas. Furthermore, the idea that these companies should be allowed to advertise on TV is evil. And doctors should be chastened as well. They should not be able to profit from the prescribing of any drugs.
I personally know of several doctors who receive percs from the drug companies and they are so blatant about it that one is tempted to out them about it.
We, as patients of these doctors, have a responsibility to hold them accountable for their actions. We all pay the price for their greed in our health and our pocketbooks.
So, do yourselves a favor and get this book and also buy it for somebody you love. It may save your lives.
If you are a Baby Boomer you need to read this book June 9, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a great book. It communicates a lot of medical information in an interesting and informative manner. Like everything in life, the more informed you are the better decisions you can make. This book makes tobacco industry executives look like rank amateurs.
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