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Poison Pills

The Untold Story of the VIOXX Drug Scandal

by 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 cell phone. 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

 

About the Author:

Tom Nesi  is a communications professional with more than thirty-five years experience in medical communications and strategic planning. He is a published author and professional lecturer as well as a medical film-maker.  

Nesi has worked for leading pharmaceutical companies and medical schools as media and marketing advisor, general consultant and competitive research analyst.  His work has been extensively produced and published and includes the noted ABC television special Fight For Life and the hard-cover and paperback book The Fire Inside (W.W. Norton, 1997.)  Tom has lectured at Harvard Medical School and the University Medical Center of Princeton on medical marketing, bioethics and public relations practices. 

TJN Communications, the company he founded in 1990, has done work for AstraZeneca LP, Pfizer, JJ/Merck, Glaxo and Pharmacia among many others.  Tom was an editor, reporter and consultant to Medical News Network and organized medical coverage of meetings such as the American Heart Association.

Nesi has a B.A. degree from Columbia University and a Masters Degree from the University of Southern California.

Visit Tom's site and Read an Excerpt of POISON PILLS