History of Prozac fight gives hope to underdogs
It's also a story that needs to be told - one that explains the
potential defects of a drug-approval process that's far too
susceptible to political influence and lobbying clout.
But author Alison Bass tries a little too hard to tell the
story. The chain of events is compelling enough on its own that it
doesn't need the literary flourishes that Bass adds throughout.
She tells the tale of the drug makers who sell Prozac, Paxil and
other pills to treat the symptoms of depression. While doctors
welcome the new weapons for their mental-health patients, mounting
evidence begins to suggest a litany of ominous side effects.
The drugs seem to help most people. But some patients, mainly
children and adolescents, see their symptoms deteriorate - they
become hostile, aggressive, even suicidal.
One doctor investigates but finds no mention of such severe side
effects in the medical literature or the companies' own drug
warnings. He initiates his own mini-studies, gaining fame among his
peers and eventually earning an invitation to a federal conference
where the evidence is discussed.
But the doctor, Marty Teicher, is shocked when his concerns are
ignored at the conference. Prozac maker Eli Lilly and the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration combine to dominate the event, and a
compliant media does little more than repeat Lilly's marketing
message afterward.
Meanwhile, more smoking guns are uncovered.
One employee of Brown University in Rhode Island knows her boss
receives hefty consulting fees from drug companies. One day she
discovers documents that question the accuracy of clinical trials
her boss oversees for those companies. She leaves her company after
publicizing those documents, and eventually becomes a pariah at her
next job.
The hero is Rose Firestein, a feisty lawyer who worked under
Eliot Spitzer when he was still New York's attorney general. She
takes on GlaxoSmithKline, successfully showing how the maker of
Paxil promoted only its positive research and systematically
suppressed all unfavorable data.
Her arduous legal efforts prompt widespread industry changes, an
inspiring victory for David over the deep-pocketed pharma Goliath.
On its own, Bass' book is interesting, mainly as a can-do tale
that teaches that quixotic battles need not be futile. Stand with
integrity, the message preaches, and you can win even against
daunting odds. But the message gets diluted by frequent
digressions. Bass provides in-depth character profiles of the
protagonists, sharing excessive details of Firestein's failing
eyesight and Teicher's marital issues.
Doubtless she wants her characters to have more than one
dimension, and some background information explains why the
characters are the way they are. But it doesn't take long for the
detours to become more distracting than illuminating.
It's almost as though the author is including that content to
make it easier to turn the book into a movie.
Even so, "Side Effects" is an interesting account of the
drug-approval process and its shortcomings. It's also a tale of
rare victory for the little guy that will leave readers cheering.