The pharmaceutical industry exerts enormous influence on health policy. Some companies develop highly profitable drugs with government money, while others have been found to have covered up serious side effects.

The fight against Covid-19 is further fueling pharmaceutical corporate greed. Is the industry’s influence threatening public health systems?

The industry has undergone major changes in the past decade. Most of the world’s pharmaceutical products are produced by a handful of large corporations, known as Big Pharma. They are richer and more powerful than ever. In some cases, they can even make decisions about government health care policies.

This documentary is the result of more than a year of research and brings together patients, whistleblowers, lawyers, doctors and politicians, as well as representatives from the industry. Major laboratories are accused of hiding or downplaying research results to maintain their monopolies. Take the manufacturer Sanofi, whose epilepsy drug Depakine caused a scandal across Europe. In the US, Johnson & Johnson was put on trial for driving millions of people towards opioid addiction. And Novartis is among the companies now facing huge fines for improper practices in treating macular degeneration, an eye disease.

The pharmaceutical industry is getting support from influential doctors. But only a fifth of German doctors report what they receive from pharmaceutical companies. As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, this documentary also looks at the lobbying efforts of manufacturer Gilead, which is seeking approval for a promising drug developed largely with government money. Each company is competing to find the next miracle cure that will help it succeed against the competition.

#documentary #BigPharma #dwdocumentary

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