Katherine EbanReseñas

5 stars

Bottle of Lies is the story of the generic drug boom of the early 2000s, specifically that caused by the increasing availability of cheap generic drugs from India and China. It follows the history of one specific Indian drug company, Ranbaxy, and the attempts by a whistleblower, certain contingents of the FDA, and FDA inspectors to bring attention to its widespread issues. In doing so, it exposes the consequences of globalization on the generic pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

This book was genuinely frightening. Eban's writing style is very engaging; it doesn't read like nonfiction. In fact, I spent most of the book wishing it was as I looked suspiciously at the pill bottle full of generic medication next to me. I would say it is one of the best pieces of investigative journalism I've ever read.

Sobering look at the generic drug industry and the FDA that is supposed to be protecting us

I did not finish this book because I found the language to be too "othering." The third strike was at 15% and I returned it to the library.

This book is fairly limited in its scope, but it points out important issues that affect pretty much everyone because pretty much everyone, at one time or another, uses prescription medication. The main focus here is on a company in India and the government regulation of that company, but the issues raised go well beyond the "star attraction" of this book. There are "bad" people and bad companies and bad regulators and bad oversight of those regulators...and bad understanding by the average prescription drug buyer of how bad everything is. Many of us badly need to read this.

anxiety

This book actually scared me.

One little overlooked consequence of globalization and the generics boom is the move to overseas production of pharmaceuticals--in particular, India (though China is also a problem, but getting information is difficult). The FDA has historically been regarded as one of the strongest, if not the strongest, pharma regulators in the world, and manufacturers take it seriously. In the US, they have the power to conduct inspections without notice and with full access. For overseas facilities, they don't: notice is given. Pharma companies in the US, Canada, and Western Europe take safety and quality seriously. A growing number of our generics are manufactured outside the US and Western Europe, including injectable medications that are incredibly sensitive to contamination, and an even larger supply of raw ingredients comes from overseas.

Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers jumped on the opportunity to reverse engineer popular drugs and sell them in the US. Problem was, some of them faked their safety data and hid it from the FDA. Eventually, a whistleblower spilled the beans.

Eban traces the story of the generics boom, the laws and regulations that govern it, and in particular the story of Ranbaxy, which faked its data and went to great lengths to cover it up. The consequences were not just confined to the US, but to other countries. Ranbaxy had a hierarchy of liability: the US and Canada first, Africa last. When a scientist expressed concern over the quality of AIDS drugs Ranbaxy was supplying for the PEPFAR initiative, a top executive replied, "Who cares? It's just blacks dying."

I looked askance at my bottles of generic medicine after finishing.

Sensational journalism. Needs more science, less rhetoric.

Corporations: Ninety percent make the others look bad.

If you enjoyed [b:Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup|37976541|Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup|John Carreyrou|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1556268702s/37976541.jpg|59699437] you'll like this one as well. And if you think in terms of "the high cost of low price," this book is a good illustration of that as well.

Corporations: Ninety percent make the others look bad.

If you enjoyed [b:Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup|37976541|Bad Blood Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup|John Carreyrou|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1556268702s/37976541.jpg|59699437] you'll like this one as well. And if you think in terms of "the high cost of low price," this book is a good illustration of that as well.

Amazing book. Details problems with the globalization of generic prescription drugs and the role of the FDA. Questions the balance between competition, maximizing profits and health care.

Fascinating book, a little repetitive in places, but that repetition is effective. A book that has made me incredibly angry. It should. It should make everyone angry, because that is the only way anything will ever change.

Fascinating. And frightening.

prescription drug fraud and contamination. If your drugs don't work, they probably are fake. Canada and overseas are not the problem. They supply lines in the US are the major source of altered drugs.

Reads like a piece of fiction, unfortunately it's not.