Constable & Robinson publish Big Pharma

Lifting the lid on the world of the largest pharmaceutical companies to reveal the real challenges facing modern health care

For all the benefits they bring, the pharmaceutical industry's biggest companies, headed by Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis and Glaxo SmithKline, increasingly face a conflict between the goals of corporate wealth and public health.

In a broad and independent analysis of the modern healthcare system, Jacky Law shows how a small number of corporations have come to dominate the agenda in Britain and America. She reveals a system in which the relentless pursuit of profit is crowding out the public good. Effective regulators are under intense pressure from corporate lobbies, and companies spend more money on marketing than on research and development. The cost of new drugs rises relentlessly while the number of original new products declines.

Every year we pay more money for our drugs. But just how much healthier are we? And is there any limit to what we will pay?

The author reveals a world where market considerations, not medical need, is determining the research agenda. She points to a future where the public and the medical profession could once again have a voice in the kind of healthcare we want -- and the healthcare we pay for.

Price £12.99 Format Paperback Pub Date Jan 06 Imprint Constable ISBN 1 84529 139 5 Category Current Affairs Foreign Rights Constable & Robinson Markets Available

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