Pharmaceuticals, Corporate Crime and Public Health

'Dukes, Braithwaite and Moloney reach the depressing conclusion that 'corporate crime in the pharmaceutical industry appears to be on the rise.' Their approach to this problem is much more nuanced than just throwing people in jail. They advocate for a pyramid of regulatory strategies including qui tam legislation and equity fines. There is an opportunity for a radical transformation of the pharmaceutical industry and the authors offer us a road map to begin that journey.'
- Joel Lexchin MD, York University, Canada

'Given the provenance, this book was always going to be excellent, but it exceeded my highest expectations. It s one of those rare works that combine true scholarship with great imagination and ends up also a real pleasure to read. The breadth of analysis is remarkable and the modelling for better futures is superb. It s more than a must read book; it is a must heed commentary, a blueprint for better public health that would be perilous to ignore.'
- Charles Medawar, Founder of Social Audit and author of Power and Dependence: Social Audit on the Safety of MedicinesThe pharmaceutical industry must exist to serve the community, but over the years it has engaged repeatedly in corporate crime and anti-social behavior, with the public footing the bill. This readable study by experts in medicine, law, criminology and public health, with deep experience of the industry, documents problems ranging from false advertising and counterfeiting to corruption, fraud and overpricing. It is a fresh and revealing look at the unacceptable pressures brought to bear on doctors, politicians, patients and the media.

Uniquely, the book presents realistic and worldwide solutions for the future, with positive policies encouraging honest dealing, as well as partial privatization of enforcement and a transformation of science policy to develop the medicines that society needs most. The authors examine in turn each of the main facets of the pharmaceutical industry's activities - research, manufacturing, information, distribution and pricing - as well as some questionable aspects of its relationship with society.

Offering a considered analysis of pharmaceutical rights and wrongs as they have developed, particularly over the last half-century, this book is rich in new insights for managers in the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies and health agencies.