The Metabolife Story
Michael J. Ellis
When Michael J. Ellis saw how cancer was ravaging his father’s body, he was desperate to find something—anything—that would help ease the dying man’s suffering. It just so happened that Ellis discovered such a method in herbal remedies—but in a fateful twist, his research inadvertently uncovered something else entirely, a secret that would also impact American society: a weight loss product that actually worked!
Five years later, in 1998, Ellis stood at the head of Metabolife International, Inc., one of the most successful and notorious herbal supplement companies in the world. Millions of Americans were taking its revolutionary product, Metabolife 356, to lose weight. By all accounts, it was the perfect Cinderella story—but this fairy tale would not have a happy ending.
Metabolife 356, with its remarkable success and happy customers, had cut into the profits of the nation’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. In short order, the pharma industry’s watchdog, the FDA, intervened, turning its sights on Metabolife and the product’s active ingredient, ephedrine. For all Americans, the FDA’s actions have had shattering consequences.
This is the true story of one of the most audacious thefts in corporate history; a story about how a massive clerical error led to one of the largest IRS raids in history; a story about how no man, however guiltless, is immune to the awful power of the media.
Above all, this is the story of one federal agency’s successful attempt to steal a safe and effective product from the American public through little more than propaganda and misinformation.
Duration - 13h 51m.
Author - Michael J. Ellis.
Narrator - Kevin Clay.
Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023.
Copyright - © 2022 Michael J. Ellis ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
When Michael J. Ellis saw how cancer was ravaging his father’s body, he was desperate to find something—anything—that would help ease the dying man’s suffering. It just so happened that Ellis discovered such a method in herbal remedies—but in a fateful twist, his research inadvertently uncovered something else entirely, a secret that would also impact American society: a weight loss product that actually worked! Five years later, in 1998, Ellis stood at the head of Metabolife International, Inc., one of the most successful and notorious herbal supplement companies in the world. Millions of Americans were taking its revolutionary product, Metabolife 356, to lose weight. By all accounts, it was the perfect Cinderella story—but this fairy tale would not have a happy ending. Metabolife 356, with its remarkable success and happy customers, had cut into the profits of the nation’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. In short order, the pharma industry’s watchdog, the FDA, intervened, turning its sights on Metabolife and the product’s active ingredient, ephedrine. For all Americans, the FDA’s actions have had shattering consequences. This is the true story of one of the most audacious thefts in corporate history; a story about how a massive clerical error led to one of the largest IRS raids in history; a story about how no man, however guiltless, is immune to the awful power of the media. Above all, this is the story of one federal agency’s successful attempt to steal a safe and effective product from the American public through little more than propaganda and misinformation. Duration - 13h 51m. Author - Michael J. Ellis. Narrator - Kevin Clay. Published Date - Sunday, 22 January 2023. Copyright - © 2022 Michael J. Ellis ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:11
Dedication
Duration:00:00:54
Author’s Note
Duration:00:01:07
Prologue: At Least if You Believe Everything You Read on the Internet
Duration:00:03:14
Chapter 1: Superman Never Makes It to the Beach, Or “Prepping for a Deposition”
Duration:00:14:49
Chapter 2: Profile of a “Dealer”
Duration:00:40:44
Chapter 3: Profile of Two Dumbasses
Duration:00:46:59
Chapter 4: Ancient Product
Duration:00:25:17
Chapter 5: Fathers and Mothers
Duration:00:32:53
Chapter 6: Moral Obligations
Duration:00:30:53
Chapter 7: Radio Metabolife
Duration:00:47:29
Chapter 8: Butterfly Cookies
Duration:00:25:19
Chapter 9: Even Monsters Cry
Duration:00:34:39
Chapter 10: Manufacturing a Product, Manufacturing a Letter
Duration:00:50:57
Chapter 11: Cinderella Goes to the Ball
Duration:00:19:24
Chapter 12: Family
Duration:00:49:08
Chapter 13: All the Kangaroos in Texas
Duration:00:40:41
Chapter 14: Send in the Clowns
Duration:00:44:00
Chapter 15: Hindsight’s 20/20
Duration:00:56:37
Chapter 16: Cinderella Does the Mopping
Duration:00:36:16
Chapter 17: The IRS Sticks Its Foot in the Door
Duration:00:50:22
Chapter 18: Guns, Or “The $93 Million Farce”
Duration:00:32:06
Chapter 19: Mr. Ellis Goes to Washington
Duration:00:35:07
Chapter 20: The Win-Win...Win?
Duration:00:30:32
Chapter 21: Modern Law with the U.S. Attorney’s Office
Duration:00:41:14
Epilogue
Duration:00:38:31
Afterword
Duration:00:02:11
Ending Credits
Duration:00:00:18