Kathleen McLaughlin, a journalist, embarked on a deeply personal quest to understand her medication for a rare autoimmune disorder. Little did she know, this journey would lead her to uncover a hidden, for-profit medical industry thriving on the blood of America’s most vulnerable citizens. Her ten-year investigation is laid bare in Blood Money The Book, a “haunting” and “anguished exposé” that pulls back the curtain on a $20-billion-a-year business.
McLaughlin’s initial assignment in China, a country grappling with plasma supply scandals, inadvertently set the stage for her investigation. While discreetly transporting American plasma for personal medical reasons, a warning from a Chinese researcher about parallels between the US and Chinese plasma systems ignited her journalistic instincts. This revelation propelled her into a decade-long mission to trace the origins of her life-saving medicine and understand the intricate web of the human blood plasma industry.
Blood Money the book takes readers on a disturbing journey across America, revealing that over twenty million Americans annually sell their plasma. This human-derived commodity, extracted within US borders, is processed and distributed globally. McLaughlin meticulously investigates the often-tenuous scientific basis for pharmaceutical companies’ promotion of plasma as a panacea for conditions ranging from COVID-19 to wrinkles. Her investigation exposes a stark economic reality: the plasma market disproportionately relies on individuals facing financial hardship – single mothers, students, and unemployed workers. The book also shines a light on the alarming phenomenon of blood collection centers strategically located at the US-Mexico border, targeting Mexican citizens willing to sell their plasma for meager compensation.
“Captivating and anguished,” as described by Publishers Weekly, Blood Money the book masterfully intertwines McLaughlin’s personal health struggles with a broader, unsettling exposé of unchecked corporate greed. It’s a crucial read for anyone seeking to understand the hidden costs of the for-profit medical industry and the human stories behind the supply chain of life-saving treatments.
