Blood Feud, Kathleen Sharp
Blood Feud, Kathleen Sharp
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Blood Feud
The Man Who Blew the Whistle on One of the Deadliest Prescription Drugs Ever

Author: Kathleen Sharp

Narrator: Coleen Marlo

Unabridged: 13 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/20/2011

Categories: Nonfiction, Law


Synopsis

Blood-boosting Procrit is Johnson & Johnson's biotech superstar. Behind its various brand names, it ranks as Medicare's most reimbursed drug. But Procrit performs frighteningly well, and can stimulate so many blood cells that thousands of patients die in unexplained and painful ways. And that's not all: Cancer patients, who often receive injections, are never warned that the drug stimulates tumor growth, too, prompting one leading hematologist to dub it "Miracle-Gro for cancer."

While patients have no clue about the risks behind this poorly tested drug, Johnson & Johnson sales rep Mark Duxbury knows precisely what is happening—the pharma behemoth is blatantly marketing overdoses of the drug. Duxbury tries to warn his superiors and is forced to testify in a secret court about illegal schemes. But his honesty costs him his career. Humiliated and ignored for years, Duxbury is ultimately betrayed in a shockingly cruel way. The psychological trauma drives him to attempt suicide, yet he fights on for several more years until the heartbreaking end. A Civil Action's Jan Schlichtmann has taken on the case, and is back in federal district court in Massachusetts.

And all the while, Johnson & Johnson has continued to push sales of Procrit.

Blood Feud is award-winning journalist Kathleen Sharp's nail-biting exposé of the Procrit case. Packed with corporate espionage, plot twists, and larger-than-life characters, it's as gripping as it is terrifyingly true.

About Kathleen Sharp

Kathleen Sharp is a journalist whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, the New York Times Magazine, and many other publications. Her work includes the acclaimed biography Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood, In Good Faith, and several contributions to anthologies on women, the West, and literature. She has won six awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her investigative work and feature writing and a health-care fellowship from the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication, among other honors. Kathleen lives in Santa Barbara, California.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ricki

“Blood Feud” is the tragic and true story of two drug reps trying to expose the unethical and illegal practices of a pharmaceutical giant in marketing a dangerous biotech-based drug. I ordered it at the same time that I ordered Jeffrey Eugenides' new book, The Marriage Plot. Usually I race through f......more

Goodreads review by Susan

I ran across this at my library when it was newly released and found it fascinating reading. Ms. Sharp does a wonderful job of telling the story of Mark Duxbury's disenchantment with Epogen after originally being Johnson & Johnson's star salesman of the drug. It's been a long time since I read it, b......more