I was obsessed with this book. The author did such a good job of writing about the dark underbelly of J&J, a company I’ve long adored. Who knew that a company that touts itself as a baby company would be so corrupt and greedy? All corporations exist to make a profit and I’m never shocked that they lie, but I expect it to be small lie, not ones that knowingly kill or injure people. The absolute lack of a soul of the high ranking officers is mind boggling. This book reads like fiction, it’s so riveting and well written. It is an exceptional piece of journalism. I love the authors writing style and the fact that he so meticulously researched the subject. It made me angry and sad and frustrated over the pharmaceutical and medical companies who take our lives into their hands with so little regard for them. I actually plan on reading this again, I enjoyed it so much. And it’s made me think twice about what I’m willing to take or what I allow doctors to put in my body. Really drove home the importance of advocating for yourself and doing your own research. I received an advance copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an eye-opening and thoroughly engaging read. The author’s investigative journalism skills are evident in every page as they expose the truth about the company and its practices. The writing is sharp, well-researched, and incredibly compelling. I found myself hooked from the beginning, and the author’s thorough exploration of the subject matter kept me turning the pages.

It’s a thought-provoking and enlightening book that sheds light on important issues, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in corporate accountability or investigative journalism.

The cover is the icing on the cake!

Many thanks for the ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

While we heard these stories from the mainstream media over the years, No More Tears exposes the behind the scenes cover-ups and deceitful practices as J&J grew into the world’s largest healthcare conglomerate. Harris gives an insider view from his years as a reporter covering the pharmaceutical industry in what I call a docu-story. How different would fighting the drug war have been if we had known that the deceptive marketing of J&J would be the drug crises accelerant.

Harris begins with baby powder, enlightens us about what was known from the start about Tylenol, the sales frenzy of anti-psychotics, the illegal marketing efforts of opioids, and wraps up with some Covid vaccine truths. It’s all nicely put together and a fascinating read.

I recommend this highly as it reads like good fiction. Book groups will find much to discuss here. Well done Gardiner Harris! This makes my 2025 favorites list.

This was heavy material, but it is very well written and easy to read. We assume a company, that is regulated by a federal agency, would do their best to protect the consumers. That’s not true. No More Tears explains all of the shady and ethically questionable practices J&J has been using over the years. This information should be readily available for all consumers and this type of in depth research should be required of all production companies.

J&J’s acts have been truly egregious and outrageous. I can’t believe there was asbestos in baby powder, for instance (and they just removed talc 2 years ago-SO recent!). I’m also getting really worried since so many women ended up with ovarian cancer and cysts due to using baby powder. I used it as a kid, and “randomly” ended up having to take one of my ovaries out, and no one could explain why it ended up with teeth and ruptured.

Notable lines (but there were far too many):
In regards to the talc reference (and beware of talc in makeup, etc): “Worse, the talc particles seemed to be located at the very core of the tumors, suggesting they were the primary irritant that led to the development of the ovarian cancer itself.”
In regards to Extra Strength Tylenol: “At least 150 Americans die every year and 30,000 are hospitalized from taking too much acetaminophen-and those are just the confirmed cases . . . acetaminophen has for decades been the nation’s leading cause of acute liver failure.”
“Chasing this gold mine required Johnson & Johnson to shift the focus of its marketing efforts from consumers to doctors . . . every doctor who served in leadership positions in the 1990s and 2000s had side gigs as part-time drug sales reps. As a result, millions of Americans died from or were injured by dangerous and inappropriate prescriptions.”
“But patients with lower back pain, arthritis, or a host of other kinds of chronic pain issues can live for decades. And once they’re physically addicted-a common outcome when opioids are used for longer than three months-patients are highly motivated to serve as repeat customers.”

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is well written and easy to read, but the content is so dense that I often had to pause to think over what I had just read. Sadly, J&J is not alone in its shady and often criminal history. I found this book very well researched and engaging. Highly recommended.

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson by Gardiner Harris is an explosive expose on a company we all think we know.

One day in 2004, Gardiner Harris who is a pharmaceutical reporter for the New York Times was at an airport bar. He struck up a convo with the person next to him. She happened to be a drug sales rep from Johnson & Johnson who shared with him, her story about the unethical sales practices and the devastating impact they have had on her family. This sparked a 5 year long research process for Gardiner and resulted in this 464 paged book.

No More Tears is divided into 4 sections: consumer products, prescription drugs, medical devices and vaccination. Harris takes us away from the company's child friend image of the "baby company" as he uncovers heaps of evidence that show deceitful and dangerous corporate practices.

The book covers multiple disasters such as the baby powder issue, where the baby powder was contaminated with asbestos and the talc itself is a proven cancer causing agent. It has been proven that the company was aware these dangerous products were involved and still marketed them to babies, the youngest and most vulnerable of us all.
It covered the deliberate misselling of Risperdal. A drug that was licensed for schizophrenia but was sold as a drug for anxiety, depression, dementia and childhood bad conduct. Basically a tranquilizer for kids and old people. It caused whoever took it to grow breasts and lactate, regardless of gender.

The book delves into the creation and support of the opioid epidemic. Supporting other opioids and creating and promoting one of their own, Duragesic (fentanyl), which is seventy-five times more powerful then mophine. Previously only for end of life palliative care was then given for osteoarthritis, back pain etc. claiming it did not have any addictive properties.

It also looked into the development and sale of Ortho Evra a contraceptive patch. The patch either emitted too high levels of estrogen putting the women in danger of heart attack, strokes etc. or too low leading to pregnancy.

I liked how the book was written to inform the public on things that should be their right to know, but wasn't written like a thesis. It was easy to read and kept me locked into the whole book. Throughout the book it dropped bits of knowledge that I had no clue about, such as how Johnson & Johnson are responsible for 70% of sutures worldwide! I knew the company was big but reading that fact made me wonder how big of an influence do they really have in the world?!

Huge thank you to Gardiner Harris for working with NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Reading Gardiner Harris's "No More Tears" was a sobering and profoundly eye-opening experience. Knowing Harris's background as an experienced pharmaceutical reporter for the NYT, I anticipated a deeply researched account, and this book absolutely delivers on that front. I was truly impressed by the level of detail and evidence presented, which methodically explores the history and alleges significant 'dark secrets' behind Johnson & Johnson's carefully cultivated, family-friendly public image.

It's often difficult and, frankly, infuriating reading, as it delves into specific, high-profile controversies like the decades surrounding talcum powder safety and the company's alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis, among others. The book raises critical and, I feel, necessary questions about corporate responsibility, the complex relationship between profit and public safety within the healthcare industry, and the real human consequences of decisions made at the highest levels. It felt like an important work dedicated to shedding light on practices and histories hidden from public view.

While the subject matter is inherently heavy and complex, I found Harris presents the extensive information clearly, weaving investigative findings, internal documents (as described by reviewers), and personal impacts into a compelling narrative structure that was often hard to put down. Some sections are dense with necessary detail, which certainly speaks to the thoroughness of the research but does require concentration from the reader.

Overall, "No More Tears" struck me as a landmark piece of investigative journalism. It's meticulously argued, deeply researched, and feels vital for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of corporate power and accountability in sectors that directly impact our health. While deeply unsettling to read about, it feels like necessary information, presented powerfully.

To start with the good - the title and cover for this book about Johnson & Johnson are PERFECTION. The minute I saw it I was excited to get into this book and learn more!!

Unfortunately, the execution of the book really didn’t work for me. First I tried the audiobook which is narrated by the author. His writing style included pausing every few words whether there was a comma or reason to pause or not. I found it so distracting I had to switch to reading with my eyes.

By the third chapter I found myself really annoyed by the writing including things like “Often sold with strong fragrances, talcum powder is also sometimes used by women in their crotch to cover normal vaginal smells.” Wow that could have been written better!!

I pressed on. And found myself feeling like I was reading many chapters with so many extraneous details it could have been edited down into a few tight pages and still get all the necessary information. I am intrigued by the information but not willing to sift through hundreds of pages to get it - this was a DNF for me. Thank you to Random House for the free book to review.

This would be an excellent resource for any attorney who will has a case against Johnson & Johnson for any of the drugs and vaccinations mentioned in this book.
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First is baby powder and how J&J knew about the dangers of the talc & asbestos for about 50 years and lied to the public, the doctors and the courts about how safe it was as thousands of people, mainly women, died due to using this product. Infuriating to say the least and totally unconscionable behavior.

Other drugs mentioned caused death to thousands in rehab and nursing homes. Another caused major and permanent issues for thousands, especially young boys. The J&J Covid vaccine issues had a direct relationship with the distrust many now have of vaccines, due to the negligence of J&J, the companies they used to produce the vaccine (who clearly didn't obey good practices) and the FDA who overlooked almost everything that attorneys brought against J&J.

Very dry reading and very upsetting. I will never knowingly buy another product from this company.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

This book is full of documented detailed facts that lay out the corrupt FDA and pharmaceutical company lies.
Today when I went to the drug store to get my 28 YO's ADHD meds, the long line at the pharmacy told the story that too many people are nonchalantly prescribed and agree to take drugs for conditions they could manage through lifestyle changes ... also known as accountability.

Paragraph after paragraph of this book has alarming facts that will scare every reader. In a good way. I realize many people have to take Rx's for sustainability or quality of life. But too many doctors and too many patients casually ingest pharmaceuticals without making the changes in diet, exercise, lifestyle that could reduce or eliminate the need for the Rx.

I hope this book causes changes.
~ Like, I hope the FDA will one day be funded by the federal government, not by the pharmaceutical companies.
~ I hope, like the Federal Aviation Administration overseas air travel, the check and balance for a plane crash is that the National Safety Transportation Board investigates. Currently, the FDA regulates the pharmaceutical companies, which fund the FDA and oh, by the way, the FDA ' punishes' the pharmaceutical companies if necessary. So wrong ! So corrupt.

This is a page turner and I wish it wasn't. It's a mystery and a horror show. And one every American should read.

When the author happened upon an unnamed drug representative in an airport lounge griping about her job, he took it upon himself to do an in-depth investigation of Johnson & Johnson. Over a period of several years, he found a number of shocking things that this “beloved” company has done since its inception that questions all of the faith that consumers have put into this company. Some of them are:

One big thing that I noticed all through this book is the sloppy oversight that the FDA has had with J&J. One FDA Commissioner - Hayes - was well-known for his “love fest” with J&J.

Hayes constantly absolved J&J of all guilt in the Tylenol cyanide poisonings.

J&J's 1970’s baby talcum powder expose showing that it was contaminated with asbestos with horrendous effects resulting in many women dying of cervical cancer.

J&J pushed the use of inappropriate drugs for elderly and children and when results proved J&J wrong, they doubled down and pushed their lies even further. Many nursing home residents died and children treated with this medication grew obese with boys growing breasts necessitating that they have double mastectomies.

J&J consistently supressed failed results of drug trials.

Next came Duragesic which is a patch that supplies a steady dose of fentanyl but sometimes the dose was delivered faster and many people died of an overdose.

Then Oxycontin was introduced for chronic pain but doctors only wanted to prescribe it for end of life situations. But J&J marketed it to people with chronic pain. This created a demand for more so they bought a poppy farm and raised a different type of poppy to produce Oxycodone. They soon became huge in producing morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone. J&J was the kingpin of the opioid epidemic.

This book, although a very long read, is quite an eye-opener that I recommend to everyone. It shows how people are being treated like lab mice by this huge company while the FDA looks the other way. I think both J&J and the FDA need to be investigated thoroughly by our current administration and don’t leave any stone unturned. Read and learn.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

“Prisons are filled with people who lived good, productive lives but experienced one moment of bad judgment. A bank teller who faithfully served her employer for forty years and then, in a fit of greed, stole just one hundred dollars is forever branded as a thief. Likewise, J & J’s executives, scientists, and salespeople cannot be excused for their bad behavior because of the good and helpful products they brought to market. That was their job, and what they were expected to do. But they also distinguished themselves by their deliberate, persistent, and frank criminality—year after year, decade after decade.”

This was a really interesting deep dive into how corrupt not only Johnson & Johnson's actions have been with certain drugs, devices, and vaccines, but also how faults in governmental protections allowed these issues to happen. Before reading this, I had a very neutral positive view on both the FDA and J&J as a whole, but this made me think much more critically about the actions both have taken that have negatively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands. I think this definitely a worthwhile read for anyone in the medical field, as well as anyone interested in learning more about the history behind someone of the most well known drugs from J&J.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Wow. Disgusted, horrified, betrayed…so many ways to describe how I feel after reading this book. I can’t believe that a company that I’ve always associated with “family” and “safety” have been behind SO many unforgivable products just to make a buck. There is a lot of really important information compiled in this book.

I cannot recommend this enough to all readers. Gardiner Harris does a masterful job detailing the massive scandals and outright malfeasance perpetrated by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) throughout their history as well as gives a harrowing breakdown of how the FDA works (at least as of 2024), which does not leave the reader with much confidence in that department. Then there are the meals and funds given to doctors who push their medicines and pr0ducts. The portion concerning J&J's Baby Powder and how it always contained traces of asbestos (increasing the risk of ovarian cancer) despite their repeated claims that it did not (coupled with threats against the media) until they were forced to pay $2.1 billion in damages in 2015 is bad. However, that is only the first example of this company's malfeasance. There is J&J encouraging doctors to prescribe ProCrit to cancer patients even though it accelerated the cancers' growth, their Pinnacle hip replacements that had a huge failure rate causing patients terrible pain and requiring further treatment, their role in the opioid epidemic that makes the Sackler's almost look like saints, their vaginal mesh that fails in ways I cannot burn out of my brain now, the COVID vaccine that barely worked and caused fatal blood clots, and the risk of liver toxicity presented by Tylenol that is overshadowed by their widely praised reaction to a voluntary nationwide recall of poisoned bottles of the pain reliever in the 1980s even though the fact that this even happened was a result of how J&J ran its supply chain. It is enough to make the reader wonder how in the world this company is still allowed to be in business let alone still be held up in business schools as a paragon of ethics because they pulled the Tylenol from shelves.

Part of the answer is that Johnson & Johnson has created many life-saving medicines and products, and the author is clear to point this out. The author also points out that every massive drug company has similar skeletons in their closet. Unfortunately, there is every incentive for companies to rush drugs to market to recoup costs and drive up the price of their shares and then to hide the failures, illnesses, and/or deaths that result. There are no easy answers, but I hope this book leads readers to push for a strong FDA that reduces failures as well as a government that heavily funds research to ensure safe and effective drugs and medical devices are brought to market at a price those who need them can afford while allowing the companies to reap a reasonable, sustainable amount of profit and growth. I know this is a pipe dream, but I have to hope we can do something.

Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing a pre=publication copy for my review. My opinions on this book are my own.

Gardiner Harris’s "No More Tears" is a deeply unsettling exposé of Johnson & Johnson. What begins as an investigative dive into corporate misconduct quickly unfolds into a much bigger story of greed, deception, and systemic failure—one that implicates not just J&J but the entire pharmaceutical industry AND those who are supposed to regulate it.

Harris structures the book around J&J’s most infamous products—from asbestos-laced baby powder to dangerous Duragesic fetanyl patches to marketing Risperdal to children—revealing a decades-long pattern of prioritizing profits over public safety. The most shocking revelations aren’t just the known scandals (like talc’s link to ovarian cancer) but the sheer scale of the cover-ups: manipulated research, silenced whistleblowers, and the FDA’s alarming complicity.

I liked how the author lets court documents and internal memos speak for themselves: nearly a third of the book is devoted to sources. And while J&J is the main guilty party, it's clear that doctors, regulators, and the media have all played a part too. Of course, now that billionaires are running the U.S. government, we probably won't see the needed action taken against this corporation. But we as consumers can educate ourselves thanks to books like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.

This is great expose into one of the most well known companies in the world. It is thoroughly researched and eye opening. The information in this book is a bit disturbing to me, coming from someone who grew up in a medical family and with many of Johnson & Johnson products. While I heard many of these stories before, I had no idea how long the company kept these issues a secret, and the lengths they went to, to protect themselves. With that being said, I already have a couple of people in mind, who I plan to gift this book to.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC*

"No More Tears," by Gardiner Harris, is a shocking account of the corrupt practices of Johnson & Johnson, one of the world's largest and most successful conglomerates. It is reasonable to assume that the executives in charge of J & J are well-meaning people who prioritize customer safety over profits. However, Harris argues in this well-researched exposé that J & J has bribed doctors, medical associations, and even the Food and Drug Administration to turn a blind eye to their unethical activities. The author further contends that, although Johnson & Johnson has done much good, the company has also "knowingly contributed to the deaths and grievous injuries of millions." J & J has paid out a huge amount of money in fines and legal settlements, but it still markets potentially harmful products.

The list of Johnson & Johnson's offenses is staggering. Its directors allowed their talcum powder to remain on shelves for years, even though they knew that it was tainted with asbestos and could cause ovarian cancer; they persuaded surgeons to insert faulty metal-on-metal hip implants; encouraged physicians to prescribe an extremely dangerous anti-psychotic drug to both elderly residents of nursing homes and children; and sold a synthetic form of a protein that increased the risk of blood clots, heart attacks, and tumor growth in cancer patients. In addition, J & J dispensed opioids widely, while falsely stating that they are not addictive.

Harris concludes this eye-opening book by suggesting solutions to the problems he raises. For example, the FDA should be an independent, taxpayer-funded agency. No doctor should be allowed to accept gifts from pharmaceutical representatives. The courts should severely punish employees of Big Pharma who lie on the witness stand and conceal fraudulent data. Finally, members of the media should investigate and write about the misdeeds of J & J and their competitors. "No More Tears" is a powerful and thought-provoking indictment of the ways in which dishonest and immoral behavior fueled by greed has tainted America's health care system.

This is a MUST-READ because the information here is INSANE. Mr. Gardiner is a journalist who meticulously researched for this book: a full 32 percent (a third) of the book is notes. Information comes from company memos, court transcripts, patient records, FDA records, and other scientific data.

The writing is engaging and gripping—it’s rare to find a nonfiction book that is so hard to put down! The writing is not sensationalist nor politically biased; either end of the political spectrum will be gripped by the book and its information. Absolutely recommended for EVERYBODY.

Most drug companies will work on a drug, test it out, and then sell it if looks good. If not, it’s back to the drawing board. J & J will market and sell it even it does no good or even does harm. It can make millions before it ends up paying a few paltry million in fines. Because so many lawyers work for Big Pharma, it’s considered a career killer for a lawyer to bring a suit against any of them. As the FDA is funded by the drug companies, it has no teeth and is really a joke. Drug companies donate tons of money to members of Congress, so they are reluctant to pass laws regarding drug safety. Doctors get kickbacks from drug sales even though it’s illegal.

(As a side note, I am puzzled when I see safe, older drugs shunted aside in favor of expensive, untested ones. I also wondered how the abortion pill got approved when it is so dangerous and then the requirement of doctor supervision was removed. The FDA/drug industry environment described in the book explains all that.)

The book covers the most serious drugs/products in chronological order:
– talc-based baby powder (talcum powder contains traces of asbestos and is virtually identical to asbestos in itself)
– Tylenol (causes liver failure)
– Procrit (useless and made things worse)
– Risperdal (anti-psychotic they pushed for off-label use for the elderly to keep them sleepy and docile and caused serious damage to children)
– Duragesic fentanyl patch (J & J’s role in the opioid crisis dwarfed that of the Sacklers’ and others who usually get the blame)
– Ortho Evra birth control patch (released dangerous levels of hormones)
– hip implants (purposely used a faulty design that caused immense pain and cost to patients)
– vaginal mesh (never a good idea and caused only harm)
– Covid vaccine (less effective than competitors’ with more serious side effects)

Yet they have come out with some great products that have helped many. So how much condemnation is deserved?

I was offered an ARC by somebody. I don’t remember who or why, but many thanks. Quotes are from the ARC and not the final proof.

“J&J could not have undertaken many of its most important and problematic sales efforts without the participation of doctors, researchers, academics and educators”

“A crucial actor in this drama is the Food and drug Administration…..(and) the American media is also an important player”

5 yrs of investigative journalism to bring this expose that has horrifying facts and scary information that will leave the reader second guessing everything they have been told about their beloved J& J.

Also…. This goes even up to the Covid vaccine.. there are cover ups that happened for good media coverage instead of the destruction that J&J has caused with almost 0 apology.

Bottom line, eye popping, worthy of a read, non fiction.