Part Four: Pills & Potions

As top pharmacy giants shell out billions to settle opioid lawsuits, I am reminded of how our nation has failed to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable for prioritizing profits over people.

If you’re as obsessed with Hulu as much as I am, then you’ve probably seen the trailer or even watched the drama miniseries Dopesick. Dopesick explores the epicenter of America's struggle with opioid addiction.

Anyone can tell you that the opioid crisis has been of grave concern over the past decades. In fact, it sparked national interest in 1971 when the U.S. declared the infamous War on Drugs.

That said, I’m sure readers around my age can attest to frequenting mandatory school programs about D.A.R.E, advising kids to “say no to drugs”.

However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid overdoses hit record highs resulting in over 100,000 deaths in just one year. Forcing us (again) to reevaluate the complexities of the opioid crisis and revealing a deeper concern about how we manage pain in society.

“A time has come to redefine the nature of pain... ignoring the chronic pain has created an epidemic of suffering" --Dopesick

Let’s talk about the settlement, shall we?

Major pharmacy chains, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, agreed to pay about $13.8 billion to resolve thousands of U.S. state and local lawsuits accusing them of mishandling opioid pain drugs.

To all my fellow Buckeyes, a federal judge also ruled that the pharma companies must pay $650.5 million to two Ohio counties in a case related to the opioid epidemic.

For additional context, counties in Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding states are some of the most hard-hit areas in the country when it comes to the overdose epidemic.

"Substantially resolve all opioid lawsuits and claims against the company by states, political subdivisions, such as counties and cities, and tribes," CVS

As a resident, I have personally seen how this crisis has destroyed entire neighborhoods and local economies.

Fortunately, with this new settlement, communities desperate to combat the epidemic will have the funds necessary to strategize solutions to treating addiction and revamping pain management.

Historical Recap: How Pharma Got Big accompanied by graphics :)

It is no surprise that the healthcare industry is comprised of some big companies. The most notable are pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, or Roche— collectively coined Big Pharma.

Anyone who has had to pay out of pocket for prescription drugs knows how overwhelming the pharmaceutical industry can be.

Pharmaceutical companies have played an active role in promoting diagnoses that result in more prescription medication.

For instance, ever since sleeplessness was diagnosed as insomnia, doctor visits increased sevenfold between 1993 to 2007, and prescriptions for sedative-hypnotics increased more than 30 times the complaints or diagnoses.

Additionally, defining and treating non-medical problems as medical problems is just another mechanism for Big Pharma to increase markets and drive-up costs. This concept is called Medicalization.

Year after year, efforts to regulate Big Pharma have borne little to no fruit. Arguments for price caps lead nowhere because of so-called costs due to research and development (R&D) of new, life-saving drugs. While R&D is important, what Pharma is spending is nowhere near how much they (significantly up) charge for prescription drugs.

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I have chosen to focus parts of my personal research on understanding medicalization and how to reverse the drug-dependent narrative the pharmaceutical industry has inflicted on the world. I guess you can call it my personal vandetta against the pharmaceutical industry.

Don't worry Pharma, I'm not coming for your pockets... yet 😉.

Here is a thought for us to discuss:

Is Medicalization a form of social control?