Katherine Eban on Fraud in India’s Generic Drugs Industry

90 percent of the world’s pharmaceutical market is comprised of generic drugs. Generics have been hailed as low-cost alternatives to their more expensive brand-name counterparts, thereby providing low-income patients around the world with affordable medicines.

An explosive new book, Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, by journalist Katherine Eban demolishes this myth and provides a dizzying, page-turning investigation of the lies, deceit, and outright fraud that run rampant in the generics industry. The narrative arc of the book is built around the rapid rise and the dramatic decline of the Indian generics manufacturer Ranbaxy.

This week, Milan speaks with Katherine to discuss her decade-long investigation, the contested role that India plays, and the consequences for public health.