The History of Pharma in Times of Crisis
Gerald Posner In Conversation with Mitchell Kaplan on The Literary Life Podcast
On today’s episode, investigative journalist Gerald Posner talks with Mitchell Kaplan about his new book, PHARMA: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America, the DNA of the pharmaceutical industry, and how finding a vaccine or treatment can rescue its since tarnished reputation.
From the episode:
Gerald Posner: All of us as writers live in fear that our book will be published during some big cataclysmic event that knocks you off the front pages. Jeff Toobin, a friend of mine, put out his book on the Supreme Court on September 10, 2001. The next day was 9/11. They had to republish the book a year later because no one heard of it. Now, that’s the worst possible example, but you’re always thinking.
I know I’m publishing into the 2020 election. That was my big concern. Here’s a book on the history of the American pharmaceutical industry. We published on March 10th, and the next day, the World Health Organization declares coronavirus a pandemic. We are off and running into the world of the pandemic, which is new to all of us. So the nine-city book tour is canceled. My favorite places, the places that are my heart and soul now in Miami Beach, like Books and Books, are closed. So it’s a new world for all of us. But I will tell you that publishing during the pandemic is an event I won’t forget, nor would I ever want to repeat very soon.
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This episode of The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan was livestreamed from Miami. Subscribe now on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you find your podcasts!
Gerald Posner was one of the youngest attorneys ever hired by the Wall Street law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He is the author of eleven books, including New York Times bestsellers and one finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. Posner has written dozens of articles for national magazines and papers and has been a regular contributor to NBC, the History Channel, CNN, FOX News, CBS, and MSNBC. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, author Trisha Posner.
