SuSpecting pharmaceuticalS The Mooded Labor of Data Review in an Israeli Medical Bureaucracy

This article expands our understanding of data review by foregrounding the affective labor it entails. Based on 18 months of ethnographic research with Israeli medical bureaucrats, I examine how they transform dubious pharmaceutical trial data into ‘trustworthy enough’ foundations for policy decisions. Preparing files for Israel’s universal healthcare program, bureaucrats must rely on clinical trials they deem unreliable. Following this process, I highlight the pivotal role of a deliberately cultivated mood of suspicion. Grounded in phenomenological philosophy, I argue that suspicion is not merely a passive backdrop but an effortful achievement shaping how data is reviewed. This study demonstrates that data review involves not only analytical tasks but also the affective work of entering and sustaining the mooded state necessary for critical engagement.