Chapter 1618 The Painkillers That Kill People
Since its birth, although OxyContin has a good therapeutic effect, it has been strictly controlled by the US government due to its serious dependence. They also know the harm of this drug.
They had done a good job of controlling OxyContin, until a Jewish family called the Sacklers entered the pharmaceutical industry and problems began to arise.
Does the surname 'Sackler' sound familiar to people in Daxia?
This family includes Arthur M. Sackler, a "good friend of the people of Daxia", who is actually the previous patriarch of the Sackler family.
Arthur M. Sackler was the first person to come to Daxia when the two countries re-established diplomatic relations. He was also the first American philanthropist to return cultural relics to the Summer Palace. There is also a "Sackler Archaeological Museum" in Daxia, which houses Daxia cultural relics from various periods and is still in use today.
The Sackler family began producing opioids in 1913, but at that time they were under the control of the US government for the treatment of wounded soldiers on the battlefield. They made huge profits from the wars of World War I and World War II and accumulated the original capital.
When people have money, their ambitions become bigger. In addition, due to the lack of war, their market was severely affected. So in 1952, the three Sackler brothers acquired Purdue Pharma and started their pharmaceutical empire.
Why did they acquire other pharmaceutical companies instead of establishing a "Sackler Pharmaceuticals"? Their profit strategy is to specifically identify addictive drugs that treat chronic diseases and are profitable. For example, the famous "Valium" is one of their products.
At that time, Valium was a psychiatric drug, that is, a drug specifically used to treat mental illness. The market size was too small, but Arthur was ingenious and created a term that is still used today called "mental tension". He attributed the causes of symptoms such as gastrointestinal disorders and insomnia to "mental tension", and Valium was the "panacea" in his mouth. As a result, Valium became a drug with sales of hundreds of millions in human history.
When Arthur grew older, his son, Charles Sackler, took power. This Charlie was even more ruthless than Arthur! He became even more ruthless and ruthless! He renamed Contin, originally used to treat cancer, to MS Contin. Originally a cancer treatment, it was now a panacea for back pain and leg aches. He then developed Oxycodone, also known as OxyContin, which was 50% more effective than morphine.
So how do we solve the problem of dependence on this drug?
Purdue Pharma has assembled a team of 600 people! They've organized numerous medical teams, sponsored various medical conferences, and used television and other media outlets to combat the detrimental effects of OxyContin addiction. Their annual sales have surpassed $1 billion! And while they clearly made their fortune selling addictive drugs, they've become a "pioneer in the fight against addiction" through various marketing strategies.
So, what should be done about this opioid, which is a prescription drug? They deployed a large number of so-called "pharmaceutical sales representatives," using various tactics like travel and conferences, gifts, hefty kickbacks, attractive women, and the promise of further education to persuade doctors to prescribe OxyContin. Later, Walmart even put OxyContin directly on its shelves...
There is a reason why the United States alone consumes 85% of the world's opioids!
Purdue Pharma's "mature sales model" was quickly imitated by other pharmaceutical companies, and this model of bribing doctors quickly spread around the world!
There was a time in Daxia when every doctor was followed by a phalanx of so-called "pharmaceutical representatives." The female representatives even had a rather descriptive nickname: "buses." At the time, many medications were incredibly expensive! However, Daxia had a solution: seven departments, including the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission, directly engaged pharmaceutical companies in a price auction, with the lowest price going to the drug manufacturer. This significantly reduced the pressure on patients, something that wouldn't have been possible back home.
But now Purdue Pharma is bankrupt.
The first thing Trump did after taking office was to take action against them. Prosecutors from various states filed lawsuits against them, accusing them of false advertising and bribing doctors. Finally, the Sackler family declared Purdue Pharma bankrupt, paid billions of dollars in compensation and withdrew from Purdue Pharma. Purdue Pharma was transformed into a "public welfare enterprise" controlled by the American state.
This result sounds good, but what is the reality?
I have to admire the power of American capital again.
It is true that the Sackler family paid billions of dollars in compensation, but this amount of money is not a large sum for their family. It is not even a fraction of their total assets. They are still a super wealthy family.
And what about Purdue Pharma, which has become a "public welfare enterprise"? It still produces and sells OxyContin! If you pay attention, you'll notice that the lawsuits filed against them by state courts in the United States are based on their illegal bribery of doctors to promote the drug, leading to addiction. This has nothing to do with the fact that OxyContin is actually addictive! Officially, the company is using sales profits to offset the harm caused by drug abuse. This is similar to "using drug trafficking profits to build drug rehabilitation centers."
And this isn’t even their most impressive move!
The most amazing thing is that they have launched another drug, naloxone.
This drug is patent-free and inexpensive. It's commonly administered to severely intoxicated individuals at Daxia Hospital for sobering purposes. However, its true function lies elsewhere. Its true function is to alleviate the symptoms of opioid overdose, making it a lifesaver for those who have overdosed.
This drug is inexpensive, but Western medical experts say that nasal sprays are the most effective treatment for drug addicts. While naloxone isn't patented, major pharmaceutical companies like Purdue Pharma hold the patents for the nasal spray device. While naloxone is cheap, the nasal spray device is incredibly expensive. Thus, they're selling both an addictive drug and an antidote.
The most amazing thing happened in May 2021. A prisoner in a Los Angeles prison used naloxone to save two inmates who had overdosed on OxyContin before medical staff arrived. This incident was widely publicized in the media by American pharmaceutical groups to prove the reliability of naloxone.
Well, if someone could come out and explain why prisoners in prison can die from drug overdose in prison, this story would be even more inspiring!
Anyway, that's the situation here in the US. Even though the painkiller problem is so serious now, people still can't live without it! Even though Purdue Pharma was sanctioned, the problem hasn't changed at all.
Juliet must be warned.
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