If you really want to know what’s going on inside an industry, talk to the people who have worked there. Former salespeople at car dealerships reveal how extended warranties, “add-ons” and financing can add unnecessary costs for buyers. Workers in the fast food industry share stories about unsanitary food handling or misleading marketing messages. Now, physicians, researchers, drug company sales reps and pharmacists expose secrets about Big Pharma, mail order medicines, drug commercials and generic drugs. Strap in for some first-hand accounts of worrisome behavior by the healthcare industry.
Whistleblowers Expose Secrets About Generic Drugs:
Investigative journalists have been writing about problems with generic drugs for years. One extraordinary example we highly recommend is Katherine Eban’s 2019 book, “Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom.” It blows the whistle on fraud and lax FDA oversight. Here is a link to her hair-raising book. Katherine spoke to FDA insiders and generic drug company executives. This is a mind-blowing account of skullduggery within the generic drug industry. You can listen to our interview with Katherine at this link:
Show 1169: What Are the Problems with Generic Drugs?
Here is a link to a Webinar I did recently with Katherine Eban, David Light (Co-Founder & President of Valisure) and Suzanne Robotti (Founder of the MED SHADOW Foundation):
Investigating Generic Drugs
Bloomberg News health care reporter Anna Edney has written scathing articles about quality problems with generic drugs. We interviewed Anna about her investigative journalism for our radio show # 1376 titled: “How Well Does the FDA Monitor Drug Quality?” We think you will find this radio show/podcast intriguing.
ProPublica journalists Debbie Cenziper and Megan Rose have also blown the whistle on the FDA’s slipshod oversight of a giant Indian pharmaceutical firm. They have written several articles including:
“A Giant Indian Drugmaker Failed to Fix Safety Breaches. The FDA Let It Off the Hook Again and Again”
These investigative journalists expose secrets about the FDA:
“The FDA Let Substandard Factories Ship These Medications to the U.S.”
Why Aren’t Physicians, Pharmacists and Hospitals Mad as Hell?
What puzzles us is that even with all these revelations, few physicians or pharmacists are raising questions about the generic drugs they are prescribing and dispensing. Their professional organizations have remained disappointingly silent.
Perhaps health professionals will be more open to stories from insiders. Here is a sampling from readers offering inside perspectives from their own experience:
Insiders Expose Secrets About Generic Drugs and Big Pharma:
“As a pharmacist and consumer, I am beyond concerned about tainted or contaminated drugs coming from India, China and elsewhere. We are not being protected by the very governmental agency that is assigned to do so. Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate the role of the FDA. Maybe they are part of the problem.
“Drugs for American consumers should be manufactured in the United States under careful oversight. The source of the raw ingredients from which these drugs are manufactured needs to be more highly scrutinized.”
Another pharmacist hopes to expose secrets about generic drugs:
“As a doctorate degree pharmacist with 43 years of clinical experience, I am horrified by the current state of the pharmaceutical industry. Back when I was working, pharmaceutical and biotech companies were based in the US and manufactured their drugs here.
“I have also taught pharmacology to nursing students and oncology fellows, managed a compounding pharmacy and served as a clinical pharmacist in a primary care setting.
“We’ve sold our souls and mortgaged our health to companies that value profits over patient safety. I have seen many problems with generic drugs, especially with narrow therapeutic index drugs. Those include some anticonvulsants, certain blood thinners and a few thyroid medications as well.
“It’s absolutely terrifying what patients are being exposed to unknowingly. As a healthcare professional, there are not many ways to assess the safety of these drugs except through trust in the FDA, which has become laughable. This is a huge scandal that has been allowed to go unchecked for at least two decades.”
An Inspector Exposes Secrets About Generic Drugs:
Here is a shocking story from a different reader:
“I was a quality assurance inspector for a pharmaceutical company that ordered diphenhydramine from abroad. That ingredient was trashy with what looked like a lot of floor sweepings and black blobs of something I could not identify. I rejected all of that ingredient. The next day, the boss told me that he had authorized the release of that ingredient to be used in production!
“When I left work later that day, I contacted the FDA and reported the whole mess. I don’t know if the FDA acted on my complaint, but I quit my job before the weekend.”
DD was a pharmacist who did it all!
“As a pharmacist having worked in all phases of pharmacy, retail, hospital, therapeutic consulting, formulary management, and for a major manufacturer, the problem does exist. A product may have the same content, but excipients, binding and dissolution rates don’t have to be the same.
“There were times we joked about ‘just tell the patient to wash it off and take it again.’ If it doesn’t have proven therapeutic viability, it is not going to work. Those tests and other quality control by the manufacturer cost and does the FDA monitor that aspect? I have seen generic products blow out the cotton after unscrewing the top of the bottle due to degradation in the bottle.”
Kirk exposes secrets about generic drug shipments:
“Shipping temperature-sensitive drugs with cold packs doesn’t eliminate the possibility of it getting too hot or too cold. Direct contact with the cold packs could very well make the medication too cold. Some are shipped in dry ice, making ‘too cold’ a distinct possibility.
“When I was practicing pharmacy in New Mexico the chain I worked for shipped the pharmaceuticals on the same truck as store merchandise, all the way from California! We also received drugs from a relatively local wholesaler. In the winter the contents of the plastic totes they used could be very cold, and very hot in summer.
“I believe drugs sourced from India and China present a threat to national security, all in the name making a bigger profit, not to mention purity issues, etc. I hadn’t thought of the implications in regards to shipping temperatures. It presents another very good reason why we (the U.S.) should not be using overseas produced pharmaceuticals. There’s no way those items are kept at proper temps in transport, or during the many transfers inherent in the delivery system.”
Karen relates secrets about shipping problems:
“I worked in health care 40+ yrs administering medications and vaccines. Publicly my employer was adamant about maintaining temperature logs to ensure product safety but privately I was repeatedly reprimanded for speaking up and/or refusing products from our ‘contracted distributor.’
“These were large quantities of expensive and life-saving products that were FAR out of recommended temp range for unknown periods of time. I was repeatedly told not to question or refuse any products from our contractor.
“If consumers only knew what goes on behind the scenes. That is just one of many reasons I no longer work in health care and question transportation, storage, and taking pharmaceuticals.”
Jay was a pharmaceutical researcher. Now he has turned to more natural treatments when possible:
“I worked in pharmaceutical research for over twenty-five years. I find this amusing, because if someone in the room is going to be hospitalized for a life-threatening iatrogenic [drug-induced] reaction to a prescription medicine, it’ll be me.
“Needless to say, I turned to herbal treatments and self-care early in my life, and, knowing that herbs can be quite powerful–even deadly–I made it a point to educate myself about what I was taking, how much I should take, and for how long. In my time on the planet, I’ve found that I seldom have negative reactions to herbs, and, unlike drugs, the few herbs that have created issues have resolved within a day or so of stopping use, without lingering side effects.
“So while I understand the breadth and power of pharmaceuticals and use them when absolutely necessary, I always respond to illnesses with herbal self-treatment first. Nine times out of ten, I can heal myself using herbs, diet, and old-fashioned self-care.”
Barbara worked for a CRO (contract research organization). She could expose secrets about testing drugs in human subjects.
“Bravo Joe and ProPublica for continuing to expose the issue of deception within the FDA and drug manufacturers! [Barbara was referring to this article]:
Another Generic Drug Scandal! How the FDA Lets Us Down
Here is yet ANOTHER mind boggling generic drug scandal. The FDA keeps worrisome data under wraps! How trustworthy are your generic drugs?
“I am an RN and worked for a CRO for 24 years. During that time I learned a great deal about the pharmaceutical industry. My resolve to avoid taking any drug was strengthened by that experience. That’s why I greatly value the People’s Pharmacy because I learn how to be proactive in restoring and maintaining my health without relying on medications.
I am not an FDA insider, but I strongly suspect that there simply aren’t enough inspectors to adequately monitor the safety and quality of drugs globally. This concern is in addition to all the other horrors mentioned.”
Karen was a “Big Pharma sales manager” for a drug company. She exposes secrets about prescription drug commercials:
“I am a retired professional Pharmaceutical Representative. For 35 years I called on physicians and other prescribing practitioners. I would talk about our products and leave samples.
“Physicians absolutely hate the drug commercials on television. They shared with me that their patients would see these ads and request the drug on their next visit. Too often the drug was not indicated for that patient, and the clinician had to take the time to explain why not. An example shared with me was about a female patient 55 years of age who asked for a prostate drug. Evidently, the commercial did not clearly state for men only. Let the MDs do their jobs!
Most physicians are over worked with heavy patient loads and would rather concentrate on their patients’ needs. I KNOW they do not approve of any drug commercials that include:
‘ask your Doctor for___.’
“Many of the ads are misleading and inappropriate.”
A retired nurse was shocked by our interview with Gardiner Harris, author of the book, No More Tears:
“I was riveted by your May 10, 2025 interview of Gardiner Harris:
Show 1430: Uncovering the Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
Renowned journalist Gardiner Harris discusses unethical business practices in No More Tears, the Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson.
“I’m an RN who has worked in clinical trials and then in the pharmaceutical industry for years. Therefore, I thought I was pretty savvy about the capacity of the industry for corruption and deception, although thankfully, I was never directly exposed to such things.
“What I heard was off the charts horrifying! It is simply beyond comprehension that such things could happen, especially in the U.S. As soon as the program ended, I ordered the book “No More Tears, the Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson.” This program reinforced my resolve to avoid taking medications and focus on disease prevention and promotion of health through natural means and lifestyle changes.
“Bravo to The People’s Pharmacy for providing information toward this end and for having the courage to shed light on what’s going on in all areas of our healthcare system! I’m a committed listener to your Saturday program and have benefited much from the information provided. I’m so grateful for what you do.”
You can learn more about The People’s Pharmacy Podcasts at this link
and
The People’s Pharmacy Radio Show at this link
Dr. Ronald worked for the pharmaceutical industry. He exposes secrets from an insider’s perspective:
“Your radio show # 1114 [How Health Care Became Big Business] was especially poignant to one who has been involved in American healthcare since graduating medical school in 1968. I have observed healthcare delivery from the perspectives of orderly in a community hospital, medical student, pediatric house officer, US Army healthcare delivery, private practice, specialty consulting practice, healthcare in four teaching medical centers, healthcare from the pharmaceutical industry perspective and from the perspectives of a patient whose experiences have spanned a fifty-year history of healthcare evolution.
“I can tell you that this evolution has not been in a positive direction. I can also tell you that at present, healthcare seems driven by billable codes, not necessarily what the patient needs.
“In 1975, when I was teaching pediatric infectious diseases and helping referred patients with life-threatening infections, I saw first-hand, bills sent to my patients that contained items I had not ordered – I was able to get them removed by advocating for my patients with the billing department.
“Of course, lobbying assistance (sanitized organized crime) was needed to change the laws that restricted excessive price escalation, in other words make what was then criminal “legal.”
“When I joined the drug industry in 1973, the CEO of Parke-Davis made a salary of $169,000, and there were no bonus plans or stock options available to inflate his compensation package. I need not remind you that CEOs now receive compensation packages in excess of $20,000,000, and that is a conservative figure!
“The most amazing part was that the healthcare industry was thriving at a time when it was noteworthy when the first drug-cost (retail price!) exceeded $1 per pill! Now single doses of single ‘drugs’ can be in the $500,000 range!
“How things have changed, and NOT for the better! The basic problem seems to be that we have a Congress that no longer works for its constituency, but rather for the various aspects of the healthcare industry that skims profit from several levels, profits that offer no value to the quality of healthcare, while depriving the system of the funds needed to deliver high-quality care.
“It is time for a peoples’ revolution that would return Congress to its original purpose of representing its constituency. How to fix a system that has become so completely corrupted with money and diversion of congressional responsibility is beyond my expertise, and not likely to happen within my lifetime. Maybe The Peoples’ Pharmacy and other peoples’ advocates can apply pressure to get the attention of concerned Congress-people and start the ball rolling toward a peoples’ solution!”
Final Words:
This is just a sample of messages we have received from insiders. We hope they will inspire physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals to demand better oversight of drug commercials, improved monitoring of generic drugs, and more transparency from the Food and Drug Administration.
We welcome more reports from insiders. Are you a healthcare professional? Have you worked for the pharmaceutical industry? Do you have insights about mail-order medicines or generic drugs? Please expose secrets so that we can pass them on to our readers. You will remain anonymous as are the people who shared their insights above. Just add your comment below.
If you are a patient, please add your perspective in the comment section below.
One More Favor, Please:
Do you appreciate our work? If so, please share this article with friends and family. Our messages are not appreciated by Google, since this search engine makes a lot of money from the pharmaceutical industry! We cannot say that Big G intentionally ignores our content or buries it on page 23 of a search, but we have virtually disappeared from most searches. Admit it, how often do you go beyond page 2 or 3 of any search? And now that artificial intelligence answers most drug queries, we are rapidly sinking into oblivion.
The only way that we can keep The People’s Pharmacy website alive is if we can increase our number of newsletter subscribers. That’s where you come in. Please let acquaintances know that our free newsletter provides helpful health information at this link. Our radio show/podcast is another venue to get valuable health information not available anyplace else at this link. If you can support our content by going ad free (at this link) or donating (at this link), we would be most grateful.
