Through a deep dive into pharmaceutical-sponsored trials, R. L. Aplin, MD, demonstrates how numerous patients will receive little to no benefit for every one patient who reaps the medication’s intended result. This number needed to treat, or NNT, is the “absolute” reduction in risk—and a well-kept secret thanks in part to big pharma’s influence in health care. Prescription Poker reveals the likelihood of medication success and brings to life the way doctors and other providers are influenced to write the next “lifesaving” prescription. With that in mind, this book is a consumer-advocate must-read for patients and their families, many of whom struggle to afford their medications, and for those who wonder if the side effects of the drugs they’re on are worth enduring.