To the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic pain and arthritis, Vioxx seemed like a miracle. One of the most widely promoted and prescribed pain medications in the world -- used by more than twenty million people -- it was endorsed by the medical establishment and celebrities such as Olympic champion figure skater Dorothy Hamill. With annual sales of $2.5 billion, Vioxx became a pharmaceutical bonanza before being abruptly taken off the market in September 2004, after it was revealed that it led to an increased risk of heart-related disease and death. Drawing on internal documents, video footage, court testimony, and exclusive interviews, as well as three decades of experience inside the medical industry, Tom Nesi tells the dramatic story of what the drug's manufacturer, Merck, knew and when. It is a compelling narrative of business and medical science run amok, with a cast of characters ranging from those at the highest levels of the multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry to research scientists, marketers, and drug company sales reps. Here also are accounts from physicians, lawyers, financial analysts, and patients and their families whose lives have been forever altered by Vioxx. Set against a fascinating history of the origins of the modern pharmaceutical industry, POISON PILLS is a shocking tale that involves the breakdown of the United States medical system, the failures of the Food and Drug Administration, and enormous profits made by a large pharmaceutical corporation at the potential cost of thousands of lives.

Caught in a war that pits greed and ambition against conscience and love, Emma Conway faces the fight of her life-to save her family, her company, and everything she treasures. Emma is finally living the dream-a happy second marriage and a great career. She has built Percival & Baxter's painkiller, Acordinol, into a huge success. But her dream becomes a nightmare when a Wall Street raider threatens a hostile takeover. Worse, the raider is no ordinary cutthroat but her ex-husband Josh Katz, father of their teenage son. P&B's Poison Pill defense implodes when a mysteriously tainted batch of Acordinol starts killing people, including P&B's CEO. Emma is put in charge as P&B's stock plummets. Her ex's game traps her in a web of secrets locked within secrets. A shadowy Russian oligarch behind Josh is lusting after the holy grail of drugs, the first Viagra for women. And a clandestine romance between Emma's son and the oligarch's estranged daughter puts them in the crosshairs of their parents' mortal combat. New York Times bestselling author Glenn Kaplan looks inside the heart of today's business world to create page-turning suspense in a powerful tale of a woman who leans into success-and discovers deadly peril. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

It's the drug of the century, a miracle weight loss compound worth billions, invented by Jon Vickers shortly before his death. So why is Jon's brother Benedict risking his inheritance, his brother's legacy, and even his own life to keep the drug from the market? And why is Olga Mueller, a jaded lawyer Benedict met by chance while traveling to Istanbul, willing to help? Can they take on a powerful venture capitalist and a ruthless top-tier law firm and win? Or even survive? In a world where money rules, does truth stand a chance?

A high-tension thriller of corporate espionage, betrayal, and leveraged...death!

In 1994, the prospect of finding a cure for AIDS represented a dream that scientists and physicians hoped to realize by the new millennium. Despite advances in medicines and treatments, a single cure still remains elusive to this day. What goes on behind the scenes in the world of new drug development is often secretive and deceptive. This mystery reveals the motives of a pharmaceutical company that is on the cusp of launching a revolutionary treatment for AIDS. Patient access to the new drug KLX is hampered by deception, greed and murder. The societal impact of AIDS is poignantly outlined in this story about innocent humans who are affected by the actions of a few executives controlling a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical market. From homeless people to politicians and government bureaucrats, conspiracies are created between unlikely allies. Only a young employee of Linfeld Pharmaceuticals has the courage to fight for the hope of thousands suffering from AIDS.

While Joe Bates and Sabino, Vietnam heroes, build a manufacturing empire, Ivon Bates, a young PhD, risks losing it. Facing enemies (Helen McCain and Donato Sabellius) bent on wrenching Bates Pharmaceuticals away from him, Ivon finds his true mettle. But as unalterable tragedy engulfs him, in the end he finds peace and true love through Sabino's gift: the Aleph jewel.