Big Pharma Backs Novel About Poisoned Canadian Prescriptions, Hires Jayson Blair to Edit

An estimated $800 million was spent last year on the underground railroad that funnels inexpensive prescription drugs from Canada to the United States. And at least one group—the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)—had reason to be unhappy about this. So they did what any self-respecting lobby would do: allow a “rogue” employee to commission a novel from Los Angeles publisher Phoenix Books, in which a group of Balkan terrorists attempt to undermine the government of the United States and the morale of its people by poisoning the low-cost prescription drugs flowing over the Canadian border.
PhRMA allegedly inked a six-figure deal with Phoenix, which lined up author Julie Chrystyn—and later, Kenin Spivak—to write the book, originally titled The Spivak Conspiracy. Phoenix also hired disgraced former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair to edit the book. At first, co-author Chrystyn told the New York Post, everything was going well.