Unreliable: How Industry and Government Corrupt Medical Knowledge

Details how the research backing the increasing number of medical products that Americans rely upon has been impacted by widespread industry influence and public policy failure.

Industry controls the agenda and conduct for the vast majority of medical research in the U.S., biasing the information available to doctors, patients, and policymakers so that they disproportionately reflect the interests of pharmaceutical and medical device companies. While it is important for a stable society that the general public trusts the institutions which guard their health, it is vital that such institutions are worthy of trust. Thus, this book examines the current state of medical knowledge to determine the question facing Americans: should we trust our medical and public health institutions?

Unreliable exposes how pharmaceutical and medical device companies have impacted the American healthcare system, making doctors and patients alike rely on untrustworthy information. This influence involves opaqueness and poor practices in clinical trials, financial ties to key medical institutions, and the regulatory capture of the FDA. This book provides concrete, specific policy solutions to empower Americans to trust public health and medical institutions.