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Doctored

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Doctored

By: Charles Piller
Narrated by: Lyle Blaker
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An Economist Best Book of 2025 So Far

For readers of Empire of Pain and Dopesick, a “gripping story of medical groupthink and warped incentives” (The Economist) that follows how Alzheimer’s disease treatment has been set back by corrupt researchers, negligent regulators, and the profit motives of Big Pharma.

Nearly seven million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a tragedy that is already projected to grow into a $1 trillion crisis by 2050. While families suffer and promises of pharmaceutical breakthroughs keep coming up short, investigative journalist Charles Piller’s Doctored shows that we’ve quite likely been walking the wrong path to finding a cure all along—led astray by a cabal of self-interested researchers, government accomplices, and corporate greed.

In this “riveting must-read master class in science journalism” (Gary Taubes, author of Rethinking Diabetes), Piller begins with a whistleblower—Vanderbilt professor Matthew Schrag—whose work exposed a massive scandal. Schrag found that a University of Minnesota lab led by a precocious young scientist and a Nobel Prize–rumored director delivered apparently falsified data at the heart of the leading hypothesis about the disease.

Piller uncovers evidence that hundreds of important Alzheimer’s research papers are based on false data. In the process, he reveals how even against a flood of money and influence, a determined cadre of scientific renegades have fought back to challenge the field’s institutional powers in service to science and the tens of thousands of patients who have been drawn into trials to test dubious drugs. Piller “masterfully unfolds an epic tale of astounding fraud, scientific egos run amok, and steely heroism in the pursuit of truth, creating both a page-turner and a seminal account of deceit that will long be remembered alongside Theranos and Enron as a scandal for the ages” (Katherine Eban, author of Bottle of Lies). Alzheimer's Disease Physical Illness & Disease Biological Sciences Science
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Well-researched Content • Investigative Journalism • Accessible Narrative • Eye-opening Information

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Wonderfully written book. As a scientist, I was angry the bulk of the time, and deeply saddened by the conversation with patients. Scientists need to do better.

Infuriating, But Necessary

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Lots of details but factual info. Frightening FDA collusion complicit. Oversight committees can only catch so much and lead researchers control the fate of their underlings future.

Rampant fraudulent research

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I’m writing this 5star review because the only review is an idiotic 1star that to me doesn’t seem like it’s from someone who read the book. This isn’t a book about cutting edge Alzheimer’s research, it doesn’t give you a “view” on what the facts are behind Alzheimer’s, it just calls out rampant and horrifying misconduct. So maybe the amyloid hypothesis is perfectly correct, but the bulk of the science it’s currently built off is falsified and corrupt and worse than worthless, it’s active dishonesty via data manipulation and more which isn’t just bad science, it the antithesis of science. So the book really isn’t offering a perspective on the causes of Alzheimer’s etc. it’s just calling out the abominable conduct of a shocking number of big names in the field. Anyone acting like manipulating the data you draw conclusions from isn’t a big deal is not only not a scientist, they are an idiot. Sorry 1 star reviewer, I think you are maybe a bit dumb.

Misconduct is the antithesis of science

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As one who grew up believing in medical and biomedical science, this book was an eye-opener, to say the least. Well researched, I couldn't stop listening to this book. It not only painted a depressing picture of some horrendous fraud in Alzheimers research, it also showed how many ways the fraud can be done.

While depressing, it's also inspiring showing how many real, ethical, scientists there are and how these sleuths were able to uncover fraudulent research (though it also shows how difficult it is to get other people to accept and act on it).

Great book!

Biomedical fraud. What a great read!

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Excellent story, even if a discouraging and in many ways frightening one as well. This book continues to support the evidence that science, like every other walk or aspect of life, is peopled by great people, good people and some not so good people. The challenge here is that the potentially bad actors can do damage in a larger scale. And it goes back to the problem of experts not always being so expert. I recommend it highly, but prepare yourself for a ride and some concerns when it is all through.

The small caveat is that Piller is very open about his role as a reporter and the pressures of getting a good story out that more people will read and be influenced by. While pointing out that the researchers he focuses on have apparently cheated to support their theses, help their careers and possibly build their wealth, either in the form of money or reputation, there is some small concern that Piller could overstate the issue possibly to increase the shock value and improve his own position? Overall though I suggest that as a “grain of salt” but not a pound of salt. Generally the premise feels accurate and certainly bears ongoing scrutiny, especially with the unfortunate related successes of so many data debunkers like Data Colada and the Statcheck Group among others.

Great story with a small caveat…

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