How the Failures of the Pharmaceutical Industry Put Patients at Risk

Reporter Thomas J. Moore. In his new book, Heart Failure, Moore argues that one of America's biggest health concerns - trying to reduce cholesterol - is a waste of time. Moore re-examines health studies and concludes that diet and exercise do relatively little to lower cholesterol, and almost nothing to increase lifespan. Moore also examines the little reported dangers of heart surgery and other coronary procedures. Part of Moore's book appears in the September issue of The Atlantic Monthly under the title "The Cholesterol Myth." Terry also talks with Dr. W.

ProPublica health care reporter David Armstrong has multiple myeloma. He says a single pill of his prescription costs the company just 25 cents to make — but costs him about the same as a new iPhone.

The story of the Sackler dynasty--the family that owns Purdue Pharma, which created oxycontin, the drug marketed to relieve acute and chronic pain, that played a major role in creating the opioid epidemic. Patrick Radden Keefe's new book is Empire of Pain. It’s based in part on leaked documents and private emails that reveal the Sacklers knew about how addictive oxycontin is--before they admitted it, and they used deceptive practices to keep selling more of the drug.