No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner HarrisMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Johnson and Johnson a well known American company. So, when things turn dark, it is disappointing and depressing. So many opportunities to stop what they were doing. They chose to ignore or misrepresent the data coming in, and if that didn't work, lie. And not just once or twice. A lot of lies. The author is a former reporter for the NYT, his research is comprehensive.
I think most know about J&J's most well known product; baby powder. Did you know that talcum powder and asbestos are so similar that the veins of one are right next to the other, so cross contamination happens? Baby powder can contain up to 3% asbestos. And that's not to say that talcum is perfectly fine. Those that mined talcum got talcosis (a type of lung disease that was eventually fatal).
J&J also marketed Tylenol which was marketed as super safe and you can take a lot of it. Well, not so fast. High doses cause liver damage and since acetaminophen is in a lot of over the counter products, one needs to watch their doses. A max dose of Tylenol/acetaminophen is no more than 4 grams (4000 mg). However it is suggested in some places it shouldn't exceed 3 grams (3000 mg). And those with liver disease should take no more than 2 grams (2000 mg) per day.
They also marked Procrit: developed for patients with ESRD on dialysis to prevent anemia and decrease the need for blood transfusions. But since that was a small market, they wanted to broaden it to cancer patients. Which made tumors grow they found out.
Risperdal- an anti-psychotic marketed to CHILDREN. Boys who took it grew breast tissue. In some cases it was disfiguring.
The Duragesic (a way to administer fentanyl topically) and Ortho-Evra (birth control) patches which both had delivery issues. Too much fentanyl and you died, too little hormone and an unexpected pregnancy occurred. Too much hormone and you got blood clots which lead to high risk of stroke.
J&J's medical devices were no better.
Unfortunately this was yet another story of chasing the bottom line and making as much money as possible. As long long as they make money, who gives a fuck about anyone or anything else?
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