POISON
PILLS
THE
UNTOLD STORY OF THE
VIOXX
DRUG SCANDAL
Tom Nesi
To the millions of Americans who suffer
from chronic pain and arthritis, Vioxx
seemed like a miracle. One of the most
widely promoted and prescribed pain
medications in the world -- used by more
than twenty million people -- it was
endorsed by the medical establishment
and celebrities such as Olympic champion
figure skater Dorothy Hamill. With
annual sales of $2.5 billion, Vioxx
became a pharmaceutical bonanza before
being abruptly taken off the market in
September 2004, after it was revealed
that it led to an increased risk of
heart-related disease and death.
Drawing on internal documents, video
footage, court testimony, and exclusive
interviews, as well as three decades of
experience inside the medical industry,
Tom Nesi tells the dramatic story of
what the drug’s manufacturer, Merck,
knew and when. It is a compelling
narrative of business and medical
science run amok, with a cast of
characters ranging from those at the
highest levels of the
multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical
industry to research scientists,
marketers, and drug company sales reps.
Here also are accounts from physicians,
lawyers, financial analysts, and
patients and their families whose lives
have been forever altered by Vioxx.
Set against a fascinating history of the
origins of the modern pharmaceutical
industry, POISON PILLS is a
shocking tale that involves the
breakdown of the United States medical
system, the failures of the Food and
Drug Administration, and enormous
profits made by a large pharmaceutical
corporation at the potential cost of
thousands of lives.
Reviews:
“If medications had personalities, Vioxx
would be that macho guy in a Hummer who
just took your parking space (and the
one next to it), who then gets out,
smiling and talking on his cellphone.
Touted as a 'super aspirin,' Vioxx was,
for a time, the No. 1 pain medication in
the world, backed by aggressive
marketing to physicians and the public.
How it got to be 'the single greatest
drug safety catastrophe in the history
of the world,' in the words of a U.S.
Food and Drug Administration official,
is a fascinating story that’s told for
the first time . . . in Nesi’s carefully
researched chronicle of the Vioxx saga.”
--Calgary Herald
“For anyone with even a passing interest
in the billions of pills we take every
day, the pills we are coaxed, persuaded,
urged and exhorted to consume with
ever-increasing fervor by Big Pharma and
its medical minions, and the roles that
the Food and Drug Administration and our
government play in this deadly game of
pharmaceutical roulette, this book is a
must-read.”
--Novus Medical Detox Centers
“Tom Nesi opens up the door to one of
the most egregious chapters in the long
and rarely heard history of the drug
industry, which has been attempting to
combat pain for centuries. In Poison
Pills, Nesi sorts out who all the
players were and how the public health
was threatened. He then describes in
depth how the FDA and other regulators
were first overwhelmed and then fooled
by the power of the drug lobby. Every
citizen concerned with not only their
own health, but the public’s well-being
should read his book.”
--Richard J. Garfunkel, host of “The
Advocates” – WVOX 1460 AM Radio,
Westchester County, NY
“This is a great book . . . it reads
like a mystery thriller."
--Dr. Ronald Hoffman, host of the
nationally-syndicated radio program
“Health Talk with Dr. Ronald Hoffman”
About the Author
Tom Nesi
has been a pharmaceutical executive and
medical industry insider for thirty
years. He lives in Princeton, New
Jersey.
Visit Tom's
Website
