An October 5, 2004 article in the (Quincy, MA) Patriot Ledger by Sue Scheible looks at Marcia Angell's anti-drug industry book The Truth About the Drug Companies and quotes ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan as a counterpoint:
Elizabeth Whelan, an established author and founder of the nonprofit American Council on Science and Health, blasted back, calling the book "Junk-Science Reporting." In National Review Online, Whelan accused Angell of doing a "hatchet job on Big Pharma"...
Many people can think of one new medication that has improved their lives significantly -- migraine, arthritis, heartburn, cholesterol drugs come to mind. Whelan says that many people first learn about these alternatives through advertising, not from their doctors, and argues that medications are like other consumer products, not an "entitlement" or right...
[Angell charges that the] industry cashes in on already established markets under the guise of newness. For example, Lipitor, the world's top-selling drug, is the fourth of six cholesterol-lowering drugs of the same type. Whelan counters that many of the new drugs do work better than others, with fewer side effects, for some individuals and provide consumers with more choice.
