Blood Feud is the electrifying true tale of Big
Pharma''s power, regulatory weakness, and the terrifying
vulnerability of millions of innocent patients.
THE PLAYERS
The Drug: Procrit
An anti-anemia drug, this miraculous blood booster was one of the
first biotech blockbusters. Developed by Amgen and licensed to a
Johnson & Johnson company, the drug was sold by the two
companies under the brand names Procrit, Epogen, and Arenesp.
The Underdog: Mark Duxbury, Drug Salesman
Duxbury was the gung-ho salesman for the new biotech division of
J&J, an irrepressible character full of jokes. In the early
1990s, he set out to spread the benefits of Procrit, and became a
true believer and top seller. But he and his peers were told to
steal business from J&J''s partner, Amgen. Then came the
marketing studies, the off-invoice rebates, doctor payments, and
off-label claims. Duxbury tried to stop some of these ruthless
programs, but was fired on trumped-up charges. He tried anything to
warn the public: testifying in a secret arbitration, joining a
class action effort, and filing a whistleblower suit. But he was
thwarted at nearly every turn-until the surprising end.
The Best Friend: Dean McClellan, Drug
Legend
Dean McClellan was Duxbury''s friendly rival. He tried to beat his
buddy''s record and wound up selling $170 million worth of the
drug, becoming a legend. When Duxbury got fired, McClellan tried to
distance himself. But as news of Procrit''s deadly power started to
surface, McClellan agreed to hand over thousands of damning
documents and help his friend blow the whistle on J&J.
The Crusader: Jan Schlichtmann, Esq.
Remember Jan Schlichtmann, protagonist of the best-selling book and
Oscar nominated movie, A Civil Action? When he learned of
Duxbury''s mission, he felt the old fire rising in his belly and
signed on. Now, he''s gambling on yet another long shot, trying to
fight on behalf of not just millions of cancer patients, but for
every American who overpays for health-care.
