07/26/2021

Gottlieb, who served in the Trump administration as FDA commissioner from 2017 to 2019, delivers a well-informed if self-serving take on America’s botched response to Covid-19. Covering well-trod ground, Gottlieb recounts the first reports of a new respiratory disease emerging in China, the CDC’s mistakes in developing and distributing a diagnostic test for the virus, shortfalls in the national stockpile of medical equipment, the use of mRNA technology to develop the first vaccines, and the politicization of preventive measures such as mask wearing. He notes that the Obama administration’s pandemic response plan didn’t discuss masking, and describes President Trump during a March 2020 White House visit as “well-briefed” by his staff and accepting of the need for “strong action” to mitigate the spread of the disease. Gottlieb’s suggestions for how to better prepare for the next pandemic include using “the tools and tradecraft of our clandestine services” to gather information on foreign outbreaks, and manufacturing more “critical healthcare components and finished goods” in the U.S. Though he lucidly explains scientific and logistical matters, Gottlieb’s tendency to cite his own Wall Street Journal op-eds grates. This pandemic postmortem is more concerned with boosting the author’s reputation than breaking new ground. (Sept.)

Uncontrolled Spread is everything you’d hope: a smart and insightful account of what happened and, currently, the best guide to what needs to be done to avoid a future pandemic." — Wall Street Journal

“In his narrative of the most severe pandemic in a century, Gottlieb lets us know what he has seen, what may well come next and what we can do before the next pandemic arrives. The book is informative and well paced.” — The Guardian

“In Uncontrolled Spread, one thing is certain: Scott Gottlieb is in total control. Throughout the pandemic, my friend Scott consistently provided remarkable insights and clarity that advanced our collective knowledge. Through his medical acumen, decades of experience and insider access as former FDA commissioner, he was able to paint a clear portrait of what was happening, even as it was still blurry to everyone else. Uncontrolled Spread will make you anxious, and it should. It is an intense ride through the pandemic with chilling details of what really happened. It is also sprinkled with notes of true wisdom that may help all of us better prepare for the future.” — Sanjay Gupta, M.D., chief medical correspondent, CNN

“Gottlieb has written a contemporary tragedy in multiple parts. Decision making should be based on the data, but we did not muster the forces to obtain the data. Nor did we coordinate a response. Instead of ‘never again’ it will be ‘again and again,’ until we learn from our failures, and promote our successes. This thoughtful and detailed account of how the United States dealt with the pandemic has so much to teach us, from ordinary citizens to policymakers at the highest levels. When will we ever learn?”
— Francis Arnold, Ph.D, inventor, bioengineer, Nobel Laureate

“Throughout the pandemic, no one — and I mean no one — has provided a clearer and more correct picture of what was happening to our country than Dr. Gottlieb. All the while he was sought out to provide more advice to decision-makers on all sides of the aisle than anyone. In Uncontrolled Spread, he is doing perhaps the ultimate service in telling the story to us in a gripping, no holds barred, yet highly constructive fashion. This book will be one of the bibles of this era.” — Andy Slavitt, former White House senior advisor for the COVID-19 response

“This is the book for anyone who wants to really understand the true story of how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in our country. In Uncontrolled Spread, Dr. Scott Gottlieb provides a gripping and rich narrative of the worst public health and economic crisis of our lifetime. His book is extremely well-researched and enriched by firsthand exchanges with key leaders in government, academia, and the private sector. It offers unique perspectives from the vantage point of one of the most experienced public health leaders in America. Importantly, it provides a lucid assessment of what we need to do to avert a repeat catastrophe.” — Luciana Borio, M.D., former director for Medical and Biodefense Preparedness, National Security Council

“Dr. Gottlieb not only served as a trusted advisor to the NYSE and many of the companies listed on our Exchange throughout the pandemic but also consistently delivered expert analysis and pragmatic advice to all Americans. Now, with Uncontrolled Spread, he is stepping up again to share the many lessons learned from this challenging chapter in our country’s history.” — Stacey Cunningham, President, New York Stock Exchange

“At a time when many of our leading public health experts were blinded by the fog of viral war, Scott Gottlieb was always one step ahead — warning of the pandemic danger and the urgent steps needed to protect the country. When public health bureaucrats were searching for people with symptoms, he was warning of asymptomatic spread. When public health officials were focused on a doomed effort to screen infected travelers, he was pushing for widespread testing at home. When government scientists still believed the virus wasn't spreading here, he was pushing for a whole-of-government mobilization to stop it. If we had listened to Scott Gottlieb, 2020 might have been a very different year. We must listen to him now, before the next pandemic arrives. Uncontrolled Spread is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why we failed to stop the worst pandemic in modern history — and why it could happen again if we don't act now.” — Marc Thiessen, Washington Post columnist and bestselling author

“In Uncontrolled Spread, Dr. Scott Gottlieb provides us a detailed account of the COVID-19 pandemic and of the U.S. response....The book is a 'must read' for anyone interested in learning how to prepare for the next pandemic. For starters let’s begin by investing the necessary resources in public health and shield it from partisan politics.” — Carlos del Rio, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of global health and epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University

"I believe Uncontrolled Spread will be the most authoritative book on the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. out of the many books that will be written." — Martin Makary M.D., M.P.H., Editor-in-Chief, MedPage Today

"I have known Scott for many years… and can verify that when he was FDA Commissioner, he was a force against useless bureaucracy... He is a reformer, and this book reveals his laser focus on trying to stay ahead the pandemic from the beginning." — Marc Siegel, M.D., RealClearHealth

"The past two years should lead to a wholesale transformation of the CDC, and Gottlieb offers a lot of ideas about what that should involve." — National Review

Dr. Gottlieb not only served as a trusted advisor to the NYSE and many of the companies listed on our Exchange throughout the pandemic but also consistently delivered expert analysis and pragmatic advice to all Americans. Now, with Uncontrolled Spread, he is stepping up again to share the many lessons learned from this challenging chapter in our country’s history.

Gottlieb has written a contemporary tragedy in multiple parts. Decision making should be based on the data, but we did not muster the forces to obtain the data. Nor did we coordinate a response. Instead of ‘never again’ it will be ‘again and again,’ until we learn from our failures, and promote our successes. This thoughtful and detailed account of how the United States dealt with the pandemic has so much to teach us, from ordinary citizens to policymakers at the highest levels. When will we ever learn?”

In Uncontrolled Spread, one thing is certain: Scott Gottlieb is in total control. Throughout the pandemic, my friend Scott consistently provided remarkable insights and clarity that advanced our collective knowledge. Through his medical acumen, decades of experience and insider access as former FDA commissioner, he was able to paint a clear portrait of what was happening, even as it was still blurry to everyone else. Uncontrolled Spread will make you anxious, and it should. It is an intense ride through the pandemic with chilling details of what really happened. It is also sprinkled with notes of true wisdom that may help all of us better prepare for the future.

In his narrative of the most severe pandemic in a century, Gottlieb lets us know what he has seen, what may well come next and what we can do before the next pandemic arrives. The book is informative and well paced.

In Uncontrolled Spread, Dr. Scott Gottlieb provides us a detailed account of the COVID-19 pandemic and of the U.S. response....The book is a 'must read' for anyone interested in learning how to prepare for the next pandemic. For starters let’s begin by investing the necessary resources in public health and shield it from partisan politics.

Throughout the pandemic, no one — and I mean no one — has provided a clearer and more correct picture of what was happening to our country than Dr. Gottlieb. All the while he was sought out to provide more advice to decision-makers on all sides of the aisle than anyone. In Uncontrolled Spread, he is doing perhaps the ultimate service in telling the story to us in a gripping, no holds barred, yet highly constructive fashion. This book will be one of the bibles of this era.

This is the book for anyone who wants to really understand the true story of how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in our country. In Uncontrolled Spread, Dr. Scott Gottlieb provides a gripping and rich narrative of the worst public health and economic crisis of our lifetime. His book is extremely well-researched and enriched by firsthand exchanges with key leaders in government, academia, and the private sector. It offers unique perspectives from the vantage point of one of the most experienced public health leaders in America. Importantly, it provides a lucid assessment of what we need to do to avert a repeat catastrophe.

Uncontrolled Spread is everything you’d hope: a smart and insightful account of what happened and, currently, the best guide to what needs to be done to avoid a future pandemic."

"I believe Uncontrolled Spread will be the most authoritative book on the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. out of the many books that will be written."

At a time when many of our leading public health experts were blinded by the fog of viral war, Scott Gottlieb was always one step ahead — warning of the pandemic danger and the urgent steps needed to protect the country. When public health bureaucrats were searching for people with symptoms, he was warning of asymptomatic spread. When public health officials were focused on a doomed effort to screen infected travelers, he was pushing for widespread testing at home. When government scientists still believed the virus wasn't spreading here, he was pushing for a whole-of-government mobilization to stop it. If we had listened to Scott Gottlieb, 2020 might have been a very different year. We must listen to him now, before the next pandemic arrives. Uncontrolled Spread is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why we failed to stop the worst pandemic in modern history — and why it could happen again if we don't act now.

Uncontrolled Spread is everything you’d hope: a smart and insightful account of what happened and, currently, the best guide to what needs to be done to avoid a future pandemic."

Uncontrolled Spread is everything you’d hope: a smart and insightful account of what happened and, currently, the best guide to what needs to be done to avoid a future pandemic."

"The past two years should lead to a wholesale transformation of the CDC, and Gottlieb offers a lot of ideas about what that should involve."

"I have known Scott for many years… and can verify that when he was FDA Commissioner, he was a force against useless bureaucracy... He is a reformer, and this book reveals his laser focus on trying to stay ahead the pandemic from the beginning."

"The past two years should lead to a wholesale transformation of the CDC, and Gottlieb offers a lot of ideas about what that should involve."

At a time when many of our leading public health experts were blinded by the fog of viral war, Scott Gottlieb was always one step ahead — warning of the pandemic danger and the urgent steps needed to protect the country. When public health bureaucrats were searching for people with symptoms, he was warning of asymptomatic spread. When public health officials were focused on a doomed effort to screen infected travelers, he was pushing for widespread testing at home. When government scientists still believed the virus wasn't spreading here, he was pushing for a whole-of-government mobilization to stop it. If we had listened to Scott Gottlieb, 2020 might have been a very different year. We must listen to him now, before the next pandemic arrives. Uncontrolled Spread is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why we failed to stop the worst pandemic in modern history — and why it could happen again if we don't act now.

02/01/2021

At the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the early 2000s, Gottlieb was instrumental in developing a Pandemic Influenza Plan and was dismayed to discover that the plan was not in use when he returned to the FDA in 2017. Here he explains why we were so underprepared for COVID-19. With a 40,000-copy first printing.

2021-07-15
The former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration assesses the systemic failures underlying the world response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Numerous public entities within the federal government, writes Gottlieb, are charged with preparing for the outbreak of epidemic diseases. Most of their energies were directed toward fighting the flu. “The federal government started off in a weak position, with plans that were ill suited to countering a coronavirus,” writes the author. “This mismatch between the scenarios we drilled for and the reality that we faced left us unprepared. Poor execution turned it into a public health tragedy.” It took time, of course, to recognize fully that Covid-19 spread through a handful of “superspreaders” and mostly indoors in areas that were both crowded and poorly ventilated—the White House during Trump’s frequent self-congratulatory public events, for one. Trump, Gottlieb makes clear, bears plenty of responsibility for the government’s inadequate response, as do lieutenants who politicized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suppressed information, and followed Trump’s lead in rejecting mask-wearing and other safety measures. “The president could have found a middle ground on masks,” Gottlieb writes. “His message could have been: We don’t need mandates….However, we’re going to act responsibly and wear masks.” The author argues that even under different leadership, the response would likely have been little better, at least in part because there is not enough coordination among agencies. He urges that preparation for pandemics be considered a part of national security, with the Pentagon fully involved and with a system that works its way around informed consent “to address a public health emergency” so that data is quickly shared. Moreover, he argues that testing procedures be standardized, as they are not now, with a full inventory of equipment in both public and private hands. These and other measures are urgently needed: If Covid-19 was the worst pandemic in recent history, “it won’t be the last.”

Of considerable interest to health policymakers and public-safety officials as well as students of epidemic disease.