Charles Piller—Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Cover of the book Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer
Doctored
DOCTORED: FRAUD, ARROGANCE, AND TRAGEDY IN THE QUEST TO CURE ALZHEIMER’S
Charles Piller
Simon & Schuster/Atria/One Signal Publishers
Hardcover, February 4, 2025, $28.99
Paperback, January 13, 2026, $20.00
Ebook, $14.99
Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781668031247
Paperback ISBN-13: 9781668031254
Ebook ASIN: B0CWKCD5RP

Piller reports:

Nearly seven million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, a tragedy projected to grow into a $1 trillion-plus crisis by 2050. While families suffer and promises of pharmaceutical breakthroughs fall short, Doctored reveals a sordid history of fraud, misconduct, and error in Alzheimer’s research that has skewed thinking in the field, wasted precious funds, and pushed aside encouraging alternatives to the field’s conventional wisdom.

Portrait photo of Charles Piller
Charles Piller
Photo by Mike McGee
My investigation begins with a whistleblower whose work exposed a massive scandal: of apparently falsified data that found its way to the heart of Alzheimer’s treatment, drug development, and multi-billion-dollar research funding. This led me to a battle inside the field, a flood of money and influence versus a determined cadre of scientific renegades fighting a tragically flawed status quo beset by groupthink and perverse incentives for academic and financial success. The book also sheds light on stories of patients who were given false hope, drained of precious resources, and drawn into trials to test dubious drugs.

The idea for Doctored followed my initial investigation on the topic for Science, which sparked a query from a major trade-book publisher. I found an amazing agent through a close friend, and the proposal and subsequent auction moved quickly and successfully, although I ended up with a different publisher than the one who got me started. I was fortunate to receive a generous advance plus a large grant from the Sloan Foundation, in addition to income from Science, that made it possible to think big, travel as needed to enhance the narrative, and hire a superb fact-checker and an ace data consultant.

I wish I had gotten started earlier on one of the important elements of the book – a deep dive into possible misconduct by scores of prominent Alzheimer’s scientists. That meant a lot of long hours for me and some generous, expert forensic image analysts that went right down to the wire of my deadline. Some modest advice: Doing a book is a gigantic task, so it has to be a labor of love. Only consider a topic so compelling you know you can bring it to life for your readers.

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Banner image adapted from original photo by Charles PiIler.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

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Publication of NASW author reports in Advance Copy does not constitute NASW's endorsement of any publication or the ideas, values, or material contained within or espoused by authors or their books. We hope this column stimulates productive discussions on important topics now and in the future as both science and societies progress. We welcome your discussion in the comments section below.

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