Intro: Documentaries about Pharmaceutical Industry
The pharmaceutical industry is huge and plays a vital role in our society. There have been numerous documented cases of drug companies pushing their drugs down the throats of people who need them, but it’s also important to know where we started as well. In the past, there have been documentaries that help us understand more about how the pharmaceutical industry came to be and why it’s so powerful. Here are the best documentaries that you must watch if you want to understand the pharmaceutical industry.
1. The power of the pharmaceutical companies - Documentaries about Pharmaceutical Industry
So, how much is a human life worth? The cost of the new cancer therapy Kymriah can be astronomical. It costs 370,000 Swiss francs per patient and takes 18 months to show effectiveness. Although it promises to save lives, insurance companies typically won't pay that type of price tag without transparency on what they're getting in return for their investment.
The killer cells for treating leukemia were not invented by Novartis, but at a US university. Professor Carl June started his research almost 30 years ago and small biotech companies had no interest in it without funding from tax money or donations-it was only thanks to this support that he could develop the drug Kymriah. After information went around the world about how a girl with leukemia who received her own treatment with Kymriah got rid of all cancerous proteins on her body, which gave them permission to launch their product more widely than ever before. What is so odd about the advice we get when it comes down to stress management? In reality, 60% of newly approved medicines are developed by universities and small biotech companies alone! Pharmaceutical firms today commonly cooperate with these organizations or buy up those smaller ones outright.
The pharmaceutical industry has shifted its focus from justifying high drug prices with the cost of research to using the value gained in one's lifetime.
2. Big Pharma - How much power do drug companies have? - Pharmaceutical Industry Documentary
The pharmaceutical industry exerts a huge amount of influence on health policy. Some companies develop highly profitable drugs with public money, while others have been found to cover up serious side effects. The fight against Covid-19 is further fueling the greed of pharmaceutical companies, who threaten public health systems in some cases and can even dictate governmental policies in other cases.
This documentary is the result of more than a year's worth of research. These large laboratories are accused of concealing and/or downplaying research results to maintain their monopolies. Take Sanofi, who has been in hot water for its bad practices with pharmaceuticals, like Depakine which triggered the European seizure scandal surrounding epilepsy drug use. In the US, Johnson & Johnson was forced to stand trial for driving millions into opioid addiction by marketing opioids without doing proper testing on them first (just because it sells so many drugs does not mean that it should get away with this). And Novartis is one among several companies now facing huge fines over improper practices in treating macular degeneration-an eye disease that people have been suffering from lately.
Although only one-fifth of German doctors declare what they receive from the drug industry, most doctors support the pharmaceutical industry. This documentary also looks at Gilead's lobbying efforts as it seeks approval for its promising new drug while battling against other companies trying to find a miracle cure or treatment. Every organization is fighting to beat out their competitors in this "marketplace".
3. "Health for Sale" - Documentary about the Market with Pharmaceutical Drugs
The worldwide pharmaceutical market is dominated by the so-called Big-Pharma, which are composed of no more than 10 companies based in the USA or Europe. Thanks to the TRIPS agreements created by WTO (World Trade Organization) in 1995, medicines has been treated like any other goods. This means that these big pharma can decide on their own and impose prices for a drug without considering needs of developing countries.
4. Overpill: When Big Pharma Exploits Mental Health - Pharmaceutical Industry Documentary
The US has a highly developed pharmaceutical industry with treatments for all kinds of mental disorders, including young children. Millions are being medicated for ailments like depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. Even patients who've been taking psychiatric drugs for years say they bring more harm than good, have experienced disturbing side effects like suicidal thoughts, addiction (or addiction's symptoms) and neurological damage. Breaking the dependency can be extremely difficult because they create withdrawal symptoms like any habit-forming narcotic.
5. Big Bucks, Big Pharma - Documentary on the Pharmaceutical Industry
The Pharmaceutical Industry is the biggest contributor to the global economy and has been responsible for countless innovations that have changed the world.
The film examines the business behind drug development and manufacturing, exploring how treatments are discovered, who stands to profit from them, and what this all means for patients.
Conclusions: Documentaries about Pharmaceutical Industry
Documentaries are a great way to learn about a topic and the pharmaceutical industry is no different. There are many different documentaries that can give you a better understanding of the industry and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.
Hope you found this list useful, keep exploring!
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