Forgotten History | Dark Origins of Big Pharma

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Forgotten History | Dark Origins of Big Pharma

Modern medicine as we know it wasn’t shaped by doctors alone, it was engineered by John D. Rockefeller.

In the early 20th century, Rockefeller and his oil empire helped transform medicine into a pharmaceutical industry, sidelining natural remedies and alternative medicine in favor of synthetic, patented drugs.

Was this a revolution in healthcare or a calculated power move?

Did Rockefeller create Big Pharma for profit, not public health?

In this episode of Forgotten History, we uncover the hidden story of how Rockefeller took control of medicine, the rise of Big Pharma, and why natural treatments were pushed aside in favor of prescription drugs.

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 have covered up serious side effects.

The fight against Covid-19 is further fueling the greed of pharmaceutical companies. Does the industry’s influence threaten public health systems?

The industry has seen major changes in the last decade. Most of the world’s pharmaceuticals are produced by a handful of large corporations, so-called Big Pharma. They’re richer and more powerful than ever. In some cases, they can even call the shots on governmental health 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 of the industry. Large laboratories are accused of concealing or downplaying research results to maintain their monopolies.

Take the manufacturer Sanofi, whose epilepsy drug Depakine triggered a scandal throughout Europe. In the US, Johnson & Johnson has had to stand trial for driving millions of people into opioid addiction. And Novartis is one of several companies now facing huge fines over improper practices in the treatment of macular degeneration, an eye disease.

The pharmaceutical industry gets support from influential doctors. But only one-fifth of German doctors declare what they receive from drug companies. As the world battles the Coronavirus pandemic, this documentary also looks at the lobbying efforts of manufacturer Gilead, as it seeks approval for a promising drug developed largely with public money.

Every company is vying to find the next miracle treatment that will help it succeed against the competition.

Forgotten History

Colin Heaton and Michael Droberg

Forgotten History | Dark Origins of Big Pharma

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