This propulsive memoir richly
details the quest of a brave saleswoman who risked everything to expose
pharmaceutical industry corruption.
In False
Claims, Lisa Pratta, once a
top-selling pharmaceutical sales representative, renders a chilling
behind-the-scenes account of how she bravely put herself--her career, her
reputation, and even her life--on the line to expose an industry rife with
corruption and deception.
Pratta grew up in Pittman, New Jersey in the 1960s.
Suffering emotional and physical abuse as a child, she became an ambitious
over-achiever determined to escape her family and make something of herself.
Her tough, shrewd, pistol-packing, paternal “Nonna” set a strong example of
right and wrong and female independence for young Pratta.
Earning a college scholarship, Pratta’s talkative
personality and exemplary listening skills steered her toward making a “decent
living” in pharmaceutical sales. Self-starting, competitive, and astute,
Pratta--a dedicated, honest worker--quickly excelled in Big Pharma, a world
full of fat perks and bonuses. It also felt, at times, like “one big
fraternity” that often belittled and demeaned women in the field. Pratta,
however, held her own. At age 27, she married a research scientist and gave
birth to a son who was later diagnosed with autism. When Pratta was 50, her
marriage fell apart, and she suddenly needed to support herself and her son,
finance his special-needs education, and secure good health insurance. She took
a job as a sales rep for Questcor Pharmaceuticals, whose premiere drug was a
self-injectable, two-to-three-week treatment offering pseudo-hope for patients
battling the debilitating effects of Multiple Sclerosis.
Pratta’s success was hard-fought and won.
However, when sales reps were prompted to pitch the drug to doctors using a
five-day regimen that not only undermined how the drug was originally approved
for use but also jacked up the $50 prescription price point to $28,000,
ethical and moral red flags were raised in Pratta’s conscience. After a trusted
colleague lost his job and approached Pratta, asking her to join in exposing
Questcor’s nefarious corruption, Pratta agreed to become a whistleblower. For
years, she risked everything—continuing her sales work, while also working as
an undercover agent for the government in order to expose Questcor’s
fraudulent, deceptive practices.
Pratta’s propulsive, nail-biting narrative is a
must-read—especially for those who rely on pharmaceuticals of all kinds, as the harrowing
truths she courageously exposes about the medical and drug industries are
alarming, but could also prove life-changing for many.
False
Claims: One Insider’s Impossible Battle Against Big Pharma Corruption by Lisa Pratta
William Morrow, $30.00 hardcover, 288 pages,
9780063371101, 288 pages
Publication Date: June 3, 2025
To order this book via Bookshop.org link HERE
To learn more about Lisa Pratta link HERE
