Alexander Zaitchik is a freelance journalist. His writing has appeared in The Nation, The New Republic, The Intercept, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Foreign Policy, VICE, and The Baffler, among many other publications. This is his third book. He lives in New Orleans.
“An arresting provocation . . . Zaitchik persuasively argues that
[the drug industry has] single-mindedly pursued profit maximization
by engaging in price gouging, blocking the availability of cheaper
generics, and exploiting the patent and regulatory systems to
harass and suppress competition.” —Daniel J. Kevles, The New York
Review of Books
"Argument starter, thought-provoker, question-asker, Owning the Sun
is a book you need to read now." —Terri Schlichenmeyer, The Goshen
News
“The history of the rise of patented and monopolized medicine is
extremely complex, but Zaitchik manages to effectively weave that
history together to show just how much institutional science and
medicine has changed since the beginning of the twentieth century.”
—Nicholas Greyson Ward, The Progressive
"Part history lesson on intellectual property and part damning
critique . . . Zaitchik’s book is highly informative and deeply
troubling reading." —Library Journal
"A brave and timely reminder . . . A trenchant study of the dangers
of turning medical knowledge into private intellectual property."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Journalist Zaitchik (The Gilded Rage) takes readers through the
labyrinthine history of medical patents in this expansive study . .
. Zaitchik covers a remarkable amount of ground and never gets lost
in the weeds. The result is comprehensive and illuminating."
—Publishers Weekly
“With so many Americans unable to afford ever soaring drug prices,
Zaitchik’s important [and] insightful history of the rise of Big
Pharma demonstrates the urgency of restraining pharmaceutical
monopoly power.” ––U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, House Ways
and Means Health Subcommittee Chair
"Riveting. Owning the Sun masterfully explains how Big Pharma
methodically gained global control over the largely public-funded
'intellectual property' required to manufacture new therapies (like
the COVID-19 vaccines). A must read for those wanting to understand
how this unfolded." —John Abramson, M.D., author of Sickening: How
Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It
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