Prescription for the People

An Activist’s Guide to Making Medicine Affordable for All

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Pub Date 15 Nov 2017 | Archive Date 15 Nov 2017

Description

In Prescription for the People, Fran Quigley diagnoses our inability to get medicines to the people who need them and then prescribes the cure. He delivers a clear and convincing argument for a complete shift in the global and U.S. approach to developing and providing essential medicines—and a primer on how to make that change happen.

Globally, 10 million people die each year because they are unable to pay for medicines that would save them. The cost of prescription drugs is bankrupting families and putting a strain on state and federal budgets. Patients’ desperate need for affordable medicines clashes with the core business model of the powerful pharmaceutical industry, which maximizes profits whenever possible. It doesn’t have to be this way. Patients and activists are aiming to make all essential medicines affordable by reclaiming medicines as a public good and a human right, instead of a profit-making commodity. In this book, Quigley demystifies statistics and terminology, offers solutions to the problems that block universal access to medicines, and provides a road map for activists wanting to make those solutions a reality.

In Prescription for the People, Fran Quigley diagnoses our inability to get medicines to the people who need them and then prescribes the cure. He delivers a clear and convincing argument for a...


Advance Praise

"Prescription for the People details the human cost of market-driven medicine and illustrates how the global movement for health justice and access to medicine can shift the balance of power and make a powerful case for reclaiming medicines as public goods."—RoseAnn DeMoro, Executive Director of National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association

"Prescription for the People is refreshing in its ability to clearly, concisely and convincingly lay out the arguments about the causes and impacts of the structural barriers to access to medicines. Quigley has a very clear-eyed vision of what we need to do, and I love the human stories that weave through his book."—Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, McGill University, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines



"Prescription for the People will become essential reading for understanding the global access to medicines movement and its teachings. Fran Quigley's reporting is rooted in the personal stories of individuals struggling to survive illnesses that can afflict any of us; churning against the machinations of treatment rationing. He expertly shrinks the rules and rationales of pharma economics and global trade to a concise and just book. Quigley celebrates smart resistance and shows how a social movement overcame the monopoly power of one of the world’s most powerful industries, to save millions of lives and change the future. Prescription for the People will be among the first items I pull from our shelf to share with new and prospective colleagues the world over."—Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines Director, Public Citizen 


"Fran Quigley's thoughtful and accessible new book reveals the hard truths about our corrupt prescription drug system. He shows an industry that claims to develop life-saving drugs but is content to let patients die if they can’t afford them. He documents billions wasted on drug marketing and how little drug corporations spend on research and innovation. And he offers useful suggestions to fight back—to channel our anger and to stand up for ourselves, the people we love, and those all over

the world who are dying because medicines are not affordable. As a cancer patient, I’d recommend this book to anyone eager to learn more about how to beat big pharma, the PBMs and a system that is failing millions of us."—David Mitchell, Founder and President, Patients for Affordable Drugs


"Prescription for the People details the human cost of market-driven medicine and illustrates how the global movement for health justice and access to medicine can shift the balance of power...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781501713750
PRICE $19.95 (USD)
PAGES 341

Average rating from 6 members


Featured Reviews

Fran Quigley shows a detailed argument on how to handle health care in the future. It's a refreshing and well written read for anyone worried about healthcare costs.

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