Book Description
Statistics show that out of five thousand compounds with initial promise, five will go into human clinical trials, and only one will become an approved drug. This tiny fraction illustrates the huge complexities involved in bringing a drug to market, a process that brings together scientific research, medical ethics, business, and various regulatory agencies.
Drugs-From Discovery to Approval presents a clear, step-by-step overview of the entire process. Using simple language, this comprehensive guide introduces basic concepts, then moves on to discuss disease target selection and the discovery processes for both small and large molecule drugs. Subsequent chapters explain preclinical studies, clinical trials, regulatory issues, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and perspectives on the future. Coverage also includes:
* A helpful listing of current FDA and European guidelines
* A special section on regulatory authorities and processes in Japan and China
* Rich illustrations throughout, including more than ninety figures and tables
* Useful appendices on the history of drug discovery and development
* Representative examples of drug mechanisms in action
Written for professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, and readily accessible for students of pharmacy or medicine and others interested in drug discovery, Drugs-From Discovery to Approval represents a practical and approachable reference on this important process.
Download Description
Statistics show that out of five thousand compounds with initial promise, five will go into human clinical trials, and only one will become an approved drug. This tiny fraction illustrates the huge complexities involved in bringing a drug to market, a process that brings together scientific research, medical ethics, business, and various regulatory agencies.
Drugs: From Discovery to Approval presents a clear, step-by-step overview of the entire process. Using simple language, this comprehensive guide introduces basic concepts, then moves on to discuss disease target selection and the discovery processes for both small and large molecule drugs. Subsequent chapters explain preclinical studies, clinical trials, regulatory issues, good manufacturing practices (GMPs), and perspectives on the future.
Coverage also includes:
- A helpful listing of current FDA and European guidelines
- A special section on regulatory authorities and processes in Japan and China
- Rich illustrations throughout, including more than ninety figures and tables
- Useful appendices on the history of drug discovery and development
- Representative examples of drug mechanisms in action
Written for professionals in the pharmaceutical industry, and readily accessible for students of pharmacy or medicine and others interested in drug discovery, Drugs: From Discovery to Approval represents a practical and approachable reference on this important process.
Customer Reviews:
An easy way to understand a complex process.......2006-08-21
I work in an organization that supports advanced gene therapy research that may lead to new therapies for chronic and life threatening diseases, but I am not a scientist. As a communicator, I needed to understand the long and arduous journey from discovery to pre-clinical research, to FDA-approved clinical manufacturing, and to human clinical trials. This book was excellent in helping me understand both the research and the regulatory environment.
The author says it best in the introduction, "The intention of this book is to provide an overview about how a drug is discovered, the amount of and types of laboratory tests that are performed, and the conduct of clinical trials before a drug is ready to registered for human use." The author also fully explains the role of regulatory authorities in these processes.
The book includes chapters on:
Drug discovery
Drug development and preclinical studies
Clinical trials
Good Manufacturing Practice
You'll also learn about things like toxicology studies, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics, and Investigational New Drug applications. Although the book contains some technical discussions and exhibits, the author has a logical and easy-to-understand way of presenting the information.
If, like me, you need to get a better understanding of process of getting basic drug research to the market, this book is for you.
Broad coverage with little in-depth detail.......2006-05-08
This book is written to cover a broad range of topics related to the drug discovery and approval process. Since so many topics are covered, there is very little in-depth coverage on any particular topic. It's suitable people who don't have any serious scientific training or experience in the industry. If you are looking for a high-level overview, this is a good book. If you would like more detailed information about any specific topic, you should probably look elsewhere. Some of the explaintions are over simplied in order for the average reader to understand. Much of the material covered in the book can be found in much greater detail by visiting the fda site or googling for the code of federal regulations. But if you do not what the FDA is or what CFR stands for, this book is probably right for you.
Good overview of the drug development and regulatory process.......2006-02-01
This is a very clear and concise review of the drug development process as well as the regulatory issues. It is well organized and well written. It is not a "behind the scenes" nitty-gritty book, but will help anyone who wants to understand the process.
The mystery of biotechs and pharma explained.......2005-08-23
Very strong on detail and highly informative for the non-scientist interested in the pharmaceutical and bio-tech industry.
Although a slightly akward layout, it is well worth reading- and for the complete novice, infinitely rewarding the second time around.
Good Overview of Drug Approval Process.......2005-04-04
This book fills a needed hole in the books about the pharma/drug industry. It provides a concise review of the drugs from discovery to approval and details the various steps along the way, including discovery, clinical trials, manfacturing and approval. There is enough science to provide the necessary background but not so much that the non scientist would be overwhelmed. It is well illustrated with plenty of diagrams and outlines. Dr. Ng delivers on a summary which can be read by novice to intermediate who desires to know more about the process. I think this book is a must read for attorneys or business people who are looking to understand the drug approval process and are working in the industry. It is also up to date which is very important in this field, where regulations can change. Finally it covers both US and other countries, although its US coverage is better than its non US coverage. This is the only reason I did not give the book 5 stars.
I find this book a good personal reference in a short concise form and therefore recommend it.
Amazon.com
Many Americans have wondered why prescription drugs have become so expensive while advertising for those drugs seems to grow exponentially. Former New England Journal of Medicine Editor Marcia Angell has some answers. The pharmaceutical industry, according to Angell, is fraught with corruption and doing a disservice to customers, the federal government, and to the medical establishment itself. In The Truth About the Drug Companies, Angell explains how a huge portion of the revenue generated by "Big Pharma" goes not into research and development but into aggressive marketing campaigns to sell their product. She describes how, even though the drug companies claim that it costs them an average of 802 million dollars per drug to develop new medicines, that figure is obscenely inflated since it factors in marketing as well as expected interest the company would have received had they invested the money in the open market. Meanwhile, Angell says, most of the R & D work is done by colleges and universities funded by the government. There are also problems with the drugs themselves, Angell indicates, since a majority are "me-too drugs", slightly modified versions of existing products which meant to address concerns of consumers most likely to spend money on pharmaceuticals. Thus, the market is filled with remarkably similar drugs to treat depression and high cholesterol while potentially life-saving medicines for diseases afflicting third-world countries are discontinued because they aren't profitable. In the books most damning passage, Angell tells of the high-priced junkets offered to doctors, ostensibly offered as educational opportunities that seem to constitute little more than bribes. The prognosis for reform is a grim one, Angell indicates, due to the massive cash reserves and lobbying efforts of "Big Pharma." Indeed, that lobby was hard at work trying to discredit her claims immediately upon the book's publication. But for anyone who's paid a pharmacy bill, The Truth About the Drug Companies is a fascinating read. --John Moe
Book Description
During her two decades at The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell had a front-row seat on the appalling spectacle of the pharmaceutical industry. She watched drug companies stray from their original mission of discovering and manufacturing useful drugs and instead become vast marketing machines with unprecedented control over their own fortunes. She saw them gain nearly limitless influence over medical research, education, and how doctors do their jobs. She sympathized as the American public, particularly the elderly, struggled and increasingly failed to meet spiraling prescription drug prices. Now, in this bold, hard-hitting new book, Dr. Angell exposes the shocking truth of what the pharmaceutical industry has become–and argues for essential, long-overdue change.
Currently Americans spend a staggering $200 billion each year on prescription drugs. As Dr. Angell powerfully demonstrates, claims that high drug prices are necessary to fund research and development are unfounded: The truth is that drug companies funnel the bulk of their resources into the marketing of products of dubious benefit. Meanwhile, as profits soar, the companies brazenly use their wealth and power to push their agenda through Congress, the FDA, and academic medical centers.
Zeroing in on hugely successful drugs like AZT (the first drug to treat HIV/AIDS), Taxol (the best-selling cancer drug in history), and the blockbuster allergy drug Claritin, Dr. Angell demonstrates exactly how new products are brought to market. Drug companies, she shows, routinely rely on publicly funded institutions for their basic research; they rig clinical trials to make their products look better than they are; and they use their legions of lawyers to stretch out government-granted exclusive marketing rights for years. They also flood the market with copycat drugs that cost a lot more than the drugs they mimic but are no more effective.
The American pharmaceutical industry needs to be saved, mainly from itself, and Dr. Angell proposes a program of vital reforms, which includes restoring impartiality to clinical research and severing the ties between drug companies and medical education. Written with fierce passion and substantiated with in-depth research, The Truth About the Drug Companies is a searing indictment of an industry that has spun out of control.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Your Life depends on this information.......2007-09-03
The media in general and the medical industry in particular do not want you (patient) to read and be informed about what you are being prescribed and the consequences. They also are dealing with symptoms instead of causes. Prevention is not in the medical dictionary terminology. Drugs do not heal! Drugs should be a short term interrupter and not a progression from one prescription to another and another. Pharmaceutical companies are gaining more political power through Federal legislation of Congress, which results show in company coffers. Read and be informed.
The truth isn't pretty.......2007-06-26
This excellent book which shines a bright spotlight on the industry. This is an industry which (mostly due to its actions) is ready to implode, and I fear that it may take us physicians right along with them.
a must read.......2007-05-13
The message is clearly spelled out in the first few chapters.American consumers need to be aware of how we are being ripped off by the drug industies.This is a must read and extremely well written
Careful what you put in your mouth!.......2007-05-06
At the same time people are dying from this disease, and that, Big Pharma maintains it's strangle hold on research in our Medical Schools, and the treatment of diseases. Why the Diabetes industry alone worldwide is a 4 billion dollar a day industry. Not to mention herpes, asthma, AIDS, cancer, and the like. The afore mentioned diorders are said to be incureable. Why? Well when research is geared to profit, and not a cure, one begins to understand why. No cures unless there is a profit to be made. So what if people die, it controls the population.
It has been more than 100 years or more since a real cure for a specific disease was discovered. There is more of a profit in making a crutch, than an actual cure. Because once that disease is cured there is then very little money to be made. We have diseases hanging around forever, and when they say there is no cure, they mean we have not made enough money from this disease. In short there is no profit in a cure. Profit is of main concern here. Not you or your family.
Ms. Angell has a blueprint or an inside look at the process of the how and why things are the way they are. Money, money, money. The Love of money is the root of all evil. Money before people. This book is an eye opener, and like the people who rang the bell before 9/11, if no one listens, no good can come from this book. Ms. Angell is giving us a look from the point of view of a former insider, and very well bares listening to. Read this book and become pro-active about the healthcare of you and your family.
She Bashes Pharma.......2007-03-09
This a an attck on big pharma and a well rounded one at that. In the end Angell proposes a plan to lessen the power of the pharma companies.
Book Description
At last! A real-world reference guide for clinical trial SAS programming, packed with solutions that programmers can apply to their day-to-day problems. Discover key techniques and tools available within Base SAS (including the macro language and PROC SQL), SAS/GRAPH, and SAS/STAT that can be used to resolve many common issues in working with clinical trial data. Organized to reflect the statistical programmer's work flow, this user-friendly text begins with an introduction to the working environment, then presents chapters on importing and massaging data into analysis data sets, producing clinical trial output, and exporting data. Valuable plug-and-play programming examples are provided throughout. Whether you're a novice seeking an introduction to SAS programming for the pharmaceutical industry or a junior-level programmer exploring new approaches to problem solving, you'll find a wealth of practical suggestions to help you sharpen your skills.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book for a beginer.......2007-08-17
Excellent book.....explains in detail which could be understood very easily by any one with basic knowledge in SAS programming.....highly recommended for those who wants to pursue their SAS programming career in pharma industry
Excellent.......2007-05-25
This is the first time I personally bought a book from Amazon and found it extremly satisfying as far as the pricing, quality and the delivery of the product is concerned.
One of the very few good SAS Books.......2007-04-07
Just love the way this book is written! A must for every SAS user working in the Clinical Trials / Pharma industry!!!
The best book I ever bought..........2007-01-24
It is not easy to explain easy things easily, but this author is different. He knows how to say more in few words. I liked this book too much. It is easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to follow. Wish we had more writers like him.
Excellent Overview of Pharma Programming and Reporting.......2006-11-16
Based on input from someone who just got a job at a large pharma in Southern California, the material in the book is DIRECTLY relevant to programming and reporting in the industry. Future versions could be a bit more detailed, but again, as an overview it is excellent.
Book Description
Using the examples of Vioxx, Celebrex, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, and anti-depressants,
Overdo$ed America shows that at the heart of the current crisis in American medicine lies the commercialization of medical knowledge itself.
Drawing on his background in statistics, epidemiology, and health policy,
John Abramson, M.D., an award-winning family doctor on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School, reveals the ways in which the drug companies have misrepresented statistical evidence, misled doctors, and compromised our health. The good news is that the best scientific evidence shows that reclaiming responsibility for your own health is often far more effective than taking the latest blockbuster drug.
You -- and your doctor -- will be stunned by this unflinching exposé of American medicine.
Customer Reviews:
Overdosed America.......2007-09-03
Abramson does a well researched job of explaining why Americans take so many pills, why many of them are not necessary, and how generics are generally as effective as brand names. It is an eyeopener concerning drug research and sales practices. Very useful in most peoples' everyday life.
Exposes the REAL Drug Pushers.......2007-08-12
The author demonstrates how the drug companies have learned how to manipulate the system that approves and recommends their product. As a result, your doctor has no clue that there is very weak scientific support behind many of the expensive drugs that they are telling you to take.
The power of this book can be demonstrated by its ability to predict future events. For example, shortly after I finished reading it, a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine regarding the popular and expensive blood sugar controlling drug Avandia. Yes, Avandia does control blood sugar, but it also increases the risk of heart attacks by 43%. Whoops!
After reading this book I now understand why the Democrats and Republicans were climbing on top of each other to be the first to pass a drug bill that no one really wanted (except the drug companies). And I know that our health care system is overly expensive and not the best.
This is one of several excellent books that explores this fascinating topic. Cholesterol Myths and Cholesterol Conspiracy are some others that come to mind. But this book is broader in scope, and gives tremendous perspective on the health care system as a whole. It is also quite empowering, because you will learn that it's good to be skeptical of doctors, whether they are pushing expensive treatments and drugs, or simply dishing out hackneyed "lifestyle" advice about changing your diet.
The bottom line is to keep fit and flexible, and you will be doing more for yourself healthwise than all the prescription pads in the world.
Patients BEWARE your doctor might be harming you with bad drugs.......2007-08-04
Thanks Dr. Abramson for being honest enough to write your book and alert the rest of us about how the drug companies have turned our physicians into legalized drug pushers. I had a feeling that this was going on for the past 10 to 15 years when drug ads began appearing on TV, drug reps began swarming around my doctor's office and my own doctor seemed to be recommending too many drugs for my ailments. This book not only made me aware but it angered me to know that there are many patients out there who are literally suffering from the serious side effects of drugs that were recommended by doctors who allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the drug companies. SHAME ON ALL OF THEM for harming us. From now on, I will never trust my doctor completely and I encourage others to do the same. Demand that your doctor recommend natural alternatives and make sure you know ALL of the side effects of a drug before taking it.
classics .......2007-08-02
Overdosed America is a classic amongst books that expose problem of America's pharmaceutical industry. This book helps expose the terrible Vioxx and Celebrex scandal whereby side effects of these drugs were known by the pharmceutical industries and to certain extent by the FDA for years before action was taken to either take the drug off the market or blacklabeled was applied. It detailed how the structure of the pharmacuetical industry (lobbist, relation to medical schools, relation to FDA, relation to doctors) lead to disincentive to reduce cost and improve healthcare industry. This book has sprawn a whole literature related to this topic. If you want to read a book related to this field, start with this one. Other books might be written by industry specialists or reporters (this author was retired family doctor), but reading this book first helps you understand what the newer books are responding to.
When will it all stop?.......2007-06-22
This book has given me reason to believe America is on a downhill spiral. No not because of our lack of Church attendance, or prayer in our schools, or even crime in our streets. No otherwise legitimate businesses are fleecing the American taxpayer, and their partner in crime is the Congress, the Senate, and the President. This to me is a very sad state of affairs. We are allowing people to die just to keep Big Pharma fat.
Revealed here are the reasons for so many of our so called incurables. Diseases for which Medical Science has no solution. At the same time Big Pharma is using it's influences to prevent scientific advances from being achieved, or at best keeping them quiet, simply because it will hurt their bottom line.
Everyone gather around, Big Pharma, is in business to make a "PROFIT," and to keep it's share holders happy. Not I repeat, not to make you well. Again at best these drugs they produce are crutches, nearly permanent crutches. My Grandfather used insulin for nearly 35 years, up until the day of his death, and we are now finding that processed foods are the biggest reason for Diabetes. You know Factory food, instead of Farm fresh food. Even sader the drug industry has the FDA on it's side to help them to continue their ruse, over our medical schools, and our doctors, not to mention the general public. Just watch some of the commercials Big Pharma uses to convince you 'restless leg syndrom' calls for pills, and not exercise. See how Big Pharma seems to have a pill for whatever ailes you. Instead of changing your lifestyle, we have a pill for that. Got a headache, there is a pill. Indigeation, here is another pill. Oh and by the way, one of the side effects of the headache pill, is it will rot your stomache. Do not worry though, we have a pill for that as well. The nausea from the ulcer pill, we have a pill for that as well. Too fat, there is a pill, etc, etc. WHAT A JOKE.
Like most things now days, we as Americans, ask very few questions, and we believe the Government is taking care of us. Believe it or not this is why our knuckle headed president is proposing limits on who you can sue in a court of law, and what your settlement will be. So what if someone died, it controls the population, and our bottom line remains intact.
Todays medications are no better than the Snake Oil, that was sold in the times before the FDA, and we have made little, if any progress.
Please read the book, ask questions, and ask more questions. Become more proactive concerning yours and your family's health.
Average customer rating:
- Comprehensive baseline analysis of US healthcare
- The Health Care Value Chain: Producers, Purchasers, and Providers
- How to Create Win-Win-Win Partnerships in Health Care
- Comprehensive Analysis
- Excellent Industry Overview
|
The Health Care Value Chain: Producers, Purchasers, and Providers
Lawton R. Burns , and
Wharton School Colleagues
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Similar Items:
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The Business of Healthcare Innovation
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Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results
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Consumer-Driven Health Care: Implications for Providers, Payers, and Policy-Makers
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Health and Health Care 2010: The Forecast, The Challenge, 2nd Edition
ASIN: 0787960217 |
Book Description
Written by Lawton R. Burns and a panel of expert contributors, from the prestigious Wharton School, The Health Care Value Chain analyzes the key developments and future trends in the United States' health care supply chain. Based on a groundbreaking research initiative underwritten by the industry/university consortiumâ the Center for Health Management Researchâ this important book offers an in-depth examination of how the health care supply chain helps create value and competitive advantage.
The Health Care Value Chain offers a thorough examination of the trading relationships among the manufacturers of health care products, the distributors, the group purchasing organizations, and the hospital customers and end users of those products. And the authors show how health care professionals and manufacturers can work together to form beneficial strategic alliances.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive baseline analysis of US healthcare.......2007-06-03
This book is an excelent synopsis of the healthcare delivery system. I bought it in order to have a better systematic understanding from a sales and marketing standpoint. I have been able to apply what I learned to achieving seven-figre increases in sales by better understanding the competitive environment and getting better ideas of where the benefits were in my product offering. There's a lot that has changed in the years since this was published (2002), and for that reason, it's not a "5" any more. However, the fundamentals are pretty much the same and this is an excellent foundation, with depth.
The Health Care Value Chain: Producers, Purchasers, and Providers.......2007-03-13
Seemed a bit out of date. Easy to read.
How to Create Win-Win-Win Partnerships in Health Care.......2006-04-03
Burns and several of his Wharton School colleagues collaborated on this book as well as a subsequently published book, The Business of Healthcare Innovation, which I also highly recommend. In the later work's Introduction when explaining the value chain perspective, Burns observes that it "analyzes the entire sequence from raw materials (input) market to final customer (output) market. The sequence is labeled a `value chain' because each link in the chain adds value to its inputs. Each link seeks to maximize its contributions to the total product's value added, thereby capturing as much profit as it can. This may involve focusing on only those links which add the greatest value (and let other firms focus on links that add less value), or encompassing as many links as possible in order to maximize the total profit captured (and leave as little as possible for other firms to divide up)."
This is a key point because whatever decision is made, there can be -- and almost always are -- significant consequences insofar as gross volume, net income, and market share are concerned. In this earlier published volume, Burns and his Wharton School collaborators focus on a large segment of the health care industry which, until now, has not received the attention it deserves. They rigorously examine "the trading relationships between [and among] the producers (manufacturers) of health care products, the purchasers of these products (group purchasing organizations, wholesalers/distributors), and the health care providers (hospital customers) that are the end users of those products -- hence the title of this book."
This is by no means an "easy read" but, as does The Business of Healthcare Innovation, it generously rewards those who absorb and digest the material, then carefully consider appropriate ways by which to apply what they have learned. Obviously, the relevance of the material will ultimately be determined by its practical value to each reader but it may be helpful if I suggest some of the questions to which Burns and his Wharton School collaborators respond.
1. What does the health care value chain consist of and how does it work?
2. What are the major pathways and stumbling blocks to improved value chain operations?
3. Which are the most effective strategies used by manufacturers in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and medical-surgical product areas?
4. Which are the most effective strategies used by group purchasing organizations and wholesaler/distributors?
5. What do the health care value chain and the "extended enterprise" found in the auto industry share in common? So what?
It is important to keep in mind that this book was published in 2002. There have been several significant developments within the health care industry since then, several of which Burns and his Wharton School collaborators examine in The Business of Healthcare Innovation (published in August, 2005). I take this opportunity to recommend, also, Steven J. Spear's article, "Fixing Health Care from the Inside, Today" which appeared in the September 2005 issue of Harvard Business Review.
For whom will this book be most valuable? In my opinion, there are two separate groups. The first consists of teachers and students associated with undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs such as those offered by the Wharton Center for Health Management and Economics. The second group would include senior-level executives of organizations which are (a) producers of health care products, (b) purchasers of these products, or (c) health care providers that are the end users of these products. I presume to observe that decision-makers in any one of these three categories would be well-advised to understand its inter-relationships with the other two.
In the concluding chapter of this book, Burns and John R. Kimberly suggest that in order to avoid the failure of prior organizational innovation (e.g. integrated health care), "the revamped health care value chain must find parties willing to pay for it." Given the nature and extent of the investment required, it seems imperative that all of those involved share the costs as well as the benefits of organizational innovation. According to Burns and his Wharton associates, there is no acceptable alternative.
Comprehensive Analysis.......2006-01-20
The author can be forgiven for writing a book that reads a little more like a formal academic paper, given his illustrious credentials. However, it is a surprisingly comfortable read given the complexity of the industry (if you could call it one industry) and the material covered. His analysis is as comprehensive as it is thought provoking. He does an excellent job of portraying the myriad of complex relationships between various evermore technologically sophisticated players within the health value chain. I would have preferred more coverage and discussion of specific company/organizational profiles. But, his artful and deft handling of the complex subject matter presented in a way that gives the reader many "aha" moments makes this book a must-read for anyone serious about the business of healthcare.
Excellent Industry Overview.......2005-07-03
For anyone working in the manufacturing or distribution industry within pharmaceutical, diagnostic or medical device companies, this book offers an excellent oversight. Its very helpful for anyone doing business analyst work in a technology department who is new to the industry, but wants to come up to speed rapidly. I recommend it for everyone in my department.
Its rare that a good overview of an industry value chain is available and so accessible to help someone understand how an industry operates.
Book Description
Thirty years ago, Henry Gadsden, the head of Merck, one of the world's largest drug companies, told Fortune magazine that he wanted Merck to be more like chewing gum maker Wrigley's. It had long been his dream to make drugs for healthy people so that Merck could "sell to everyone." Gadsden's dream now drives the marketing machinery of the most profitable industry on earth.
Drug companies are systematically working to widen the very boundaries that define illness, and the markets for medication grow ever larger. Mild problems are redefined as serious illness and common complaints are labeled as medical conditions requiring drug treatments. Runny noses are now allergic rhinitis, PMS has become a psychiatric disorder, and hyperactive children have ADD. When it comes to conditions like high cholesterol or low bone density, being "at risk" is sold as a disease.
Selling Sickness reveals how widening the boundaries of illness and lowering the threshold for treatments is creating millions of new patients and billions in new profits, in turn threatening to bankrupt health-care systems all over the world. As more and more of ordinary life becomes medicalized, the industry moves ever closer to Gadsden's dream: "selling to everyone."
Customer Reviews:
ver compelling.......2007-06-12
This book was a real eye-opener. The authors write very clearly, and it is well referenced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an introduction to just how crooked the relationship can be between 'Big pharma' and the medical profession.
Buying into SICKNESS.......2007-04-20
Ray Moynihan is a legend, and more importantly he appears to have some integrity and intelligence. While other so-called journalists unquestioningly accept what is spoon-fed to them from big Pharma, Moynihan bothers to look beneath the veneer created by PR and spin-doctoring. The book has been written so that non-medical people can understand it, but is referenced in order that health professionals can check the veracity of his claims - and he really doesn't claim anything he can't back up by referenced literature. I applaud Dr Pelton for reading the book at all, but feel a little sad that he doesn't go a little further and discover for himself that most modern theory of disease is based on little more than wishful thinking, huge profits and massive disinformation campaigns.
Think for Yourself.......2007-03-13
This book does an excellent job exposing where some companies have done wrong. I can write the same book about almost any industry in the country. Now how many of them have developed a life-changing drug like Enbrel? As others have pointed out, this book (and most others like it) do a miserable job of providing context. Our life expectancies are lower than other industrialized nations because we are the fatest people on the planet, I can only imagine what it would be like if we didn't take the drugs that keep us alive. Can people exercise and take care of themselves and avoid a lot of these issues? Sure they can-but they don't and then they go to the doctor expecting a miracle cure. Can they not feed their little kids pounds of high frucotse corn syrup and avoid turming them into 20 year old diabetics, sure they can-but they don't. Every doctor I've ever been to or talked to says they tell every patient to exercise and watch their diet first (before ever prescribing anything). When the patient fails to comply then the doctor does what they think is the best thing to keep their patient alive. Pharmas certainly do wrong things, like any other business, and they need to be policed, but they should not be the scapegoat for sensationalist journalists (who are, guess what, selling the news/books) and short-sighted politicians are are unwilling or unable to deal with the larger healthcare issues our nation now faces.
Read this book, but please read others as well (that ought to make Amazon happy!)-try some that don't agree with what the media has programmed you to think about big pharma-if you can find any.
Disappointed.......2007-03-08
The book presents ten examples of unethical conduct by pharmaceutical compnies in order to promote their products. The tactics include misrepresenting statistical facts, overstating health risks, influencing medical authorities, creating new medical conditions in order to sell drugs for them and so on.
All the facts in the book are true. But the impression the book creates is skewed. Modern medicine cannot exist without pharmaceutical industry, and the relationship between it and medical professionals is more complex than portrayed in this text. I also believe that most doctors deserve more credit when it comes to choosing treatments for their patients.
But opinions aside, the book actually is getting boring as it progresses, probably because it is clear how each chapter will end soon after the beginning. I also expected less political and more medical information. I also think the authors should have touched on other reasons of proliferation of drug culture in modern society.
Overall I was disappointed.
Should be required reading for ALL women and girls!!!.......2007-02-23
As a single woman writer with a very modest income, I have struggled and struggled for years to pay ever increasing health insurance premiums. Health costs are going through the ROOF and much of this is explained in "Selling Sickness."
And the coup de grace is Governor Perry's recent mandate that all 11 and 12-year-old girls be vaccinated against cervical cancer. In February 2007, USA Today reported that Perry *bypassed* the state legislature to force this law on the books. Three shots of this nice, new chemical will cost $360 and prevent only 70% of cervical cancers. Yet Perty is comparing this to the Polio vaccine?
"Selling Sickness" pulls back the curtain on the politically-charged (and financially inspired) machinations of the pharmaceutical industry and explains the mass manipulation. It's a very disturbing book, but also well documented, well researched and utterly fascinating.
Read it and weep - for America's health care system.
Average customer rating:
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Handbook of Biogeneric Therapeutic Proteins: Regulatory, Manufacturing, Testing, and Patent Issues
Sarfaraz K. Niazi
Manufacturer: Informa Healthcare
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Binding: Hardcover
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Therapeutic Peptides and Proteins: Formulation, Processing, and Delivery Systems, Second Edition
ASIN: 0849329914 |
Book Description
Handbook of Biogeneric Therapeutic Proteins is the first book to offer extensive coverage of all aspects of generic or biosimilar biological products, from the scientific basis through the marketing issues. This practical book includes comprehensive information on establishing a manufacturing system and securing regulatory approval for biogeneric pharmaceutical products. It explains how to establish facilities to manufacture the raw materials used in biological products and how to prepare finished products. The author also provides details about the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) section of the FDA's New Drug Application for Biological Products.
Book Description
The most effective approach to landing pharmaceutical sales jobs. Updated annually, this step-by-step program has been used by thousands to help them land pharmaceutical sales jobs throughout the United States and Canada. Applicants learn how to shorten their job search, locate unadvertised job openings, get direct access to managers' home addresses and e-mail addresses, and how to effectively market themselves. For recent college graduates, anyone looking to transition into a pharmaceutical sales career, and current pharmaceutical reps wishing to change companies.
Customer Reviews:
Very useful book for the interview of phamaceutical company.......2007-08-24
This book about interview of phamaceutical company is very useful for me.
Thank you for your fast delivery.
Basic interview text.......2007-04-06
Didn't get the job, but the book did help me a little during the multiple interviews. The better option is to call a rep and have a sit-down to go over the ins and outs. If you can't find one, go to your local pharmacy, they'll have contact info for you. Good luck!
3 Days Review.......2007-01-16
Great book! Very different info than other pharmaceutical books. This book is very straight forward and easy to follow. I recommend it for anyone trying to break into the pharmaceutical business.
I guess OK.......2006-08-11
The book I would say is good if you are willing go insanely above and beyond the normal realms of getting a job...most of the info. is pretty easy to figure out on your own, but if structure is needed this can be a good guideline. Over all it did not do much for me, but it might work wonders for others.
Deficient in important information.......2006-06-14
On the positive side, the book is neat and is written with humor. Unfortunately the negatives outweigh the positives. When reading this book, I found that most of the information covers resume writing and how to make contact with pharmaceutical sales reps. I think some of her advice about making contact could prevent you from ever getting a job in pharmaceutical sales because it is so unprofessional. The "how to actually get the job part," the interview, was seriously deficient in information. There were few questions and few answers, and next to nothing about how to prepare for the interview. This one simply does not deliver on the description of the book given.
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