Essay Example: US Opioid Epidemic

Roughly 841,000 people have died from drug overdoses, with prescription opioids being at fault for about 500,000 of those deaths. This opioid epidemic was no accident, pharmaceutical companies have no interest in American health rather they are interested more in the profits. Big pharmaceutical companies are destroying Americans by producing medicine for a very high cost, lying to consumers about the addictiveness of opioids, and being responsible for many deaths from opioids all for profits.  

Although medications contribute substantially to the public's health with companies relieving pain, suffering, and even lives, people are often put in the position to choose debt or death. The United States pays the highest prices for drugs in the world, and they put a large amount of health care costs towards prescription drugs.  “People who suffer from conditions like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis and cancer which are treated with what are called specialty drugs and biologics — they have the highest-priced medicine — often $50,000 to $100,000 per year, and some drugs for these conditions are priced in the $300,000 to $400,000 range for an annual treatment” (Why are U.S. Prescription Drug Prices So High?). It is known that the United States allows pharmaceutical companies to charge whatever they want for prescription drugs. This proves that these companies will not hold back and will profit as much as they can. Even though some families are fortunate enough to have good insurance that covers some medical bills, this is why many still struggle when they get hit with those high prices. “Health insurance in the U.S. includes prescription drugs, but patients are charged cost-sharing, and cost-sharing can be unaffordable, because the underlying prices of drugs are quite high in the U.S.” (Why are U.S. Prescription Drug Prices So High?).  Americans have their hands tied behind their back with the prices that pharmaceutical companies push out, they force Americans to either pay thousands of dollars for drugs or suffer in their sickness. “We see patients who can’t take the full dose. They cut their pills in half. They skip doses. People with diabetes who don’t take the required amount of insulin to manage their Type 1 diabetes let their blood sugars spike dangerously before they take an injection because they can’t afford it” (Why are U.S. Prescription Drug Prices So High?). Big pharma has crossed the line from practical profits to unethical profits. People would rather suffer from their diagnosis than pay the big bucks to limp along, pharmaceutical companies continue to put people in a bind for living with illnesses and diseases that they did not even ask for. 

In addition to the deceptive prices of prescription drugs, pharmaceutical companies would rather lie to consumers about the addictiveness of the drugs they are pushing to innocent people than be honest and not make as much money. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, Big Pharama decided to push the priority for treating pain. Whereas up until then opioids and narcotics were only used seldomly for post-surgical pain and end-of-life care because of how addictive they are. With the flip of a switch pharmaceutical companies jumped at the push of potent opioids and pocketed much profit. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of prescription opioids sold to pharmacies, hospitals and doctors’ offices almost quadrupled from 1999 to 2014 without any evidence of a change in Americans’ overall reported pain” (Silvestrini). The seeds of the opioid epidemic were planted by Big Pharma, it had nothing to do with the people of America. Starting in the early 1900s many companies were brainstorming on how to make the profits escalate. By 2014, the United States, which makes up about only 5% of the global population at this time, consumed 80% of all opioid supply. Companies like Purdue Pharma who profited billions of dollars from these opioids simply lied to the consumers. They would advertise how helpful this drug was to get rid of a consumer’s pain, they were giving the people what they wanted; something that would get rid of this chronic, horrible pain that they had been living with. “The family that owns Purdue Pharma, the Sacklers, became one of the wealthiest families in the country, with a net worth that reached as high as $14 billion in 2015, largely on the strength of the opioid OxyContin’s profits” (Silvestrini). Even with little to no clinical evidence to prove opioids are the answer for pain for everyday Americans, medical establishments began prescribing opioids for long-term, chronic pain simply because their big brother, Big Pharma said so. As companies’ and owners' fortunes rose from these sales, so did Americans suffering. 

Big pharma’s equation of extreme prices with deceitful push of opioids down Americans’ throats for long-term pain only equals the repercussions that major companies are facing today due to the number of deaths they have caused. The push for opioids across America created a surge of overdoses in three big waves from 1999-to 2019. The increase in opioid medication resulted in the increase of overdose and death by consumers missing both prescription and nonprescription medication. 40% of those deaths come from prescription opioids. “The first wave began with increased prescribing of opioids in the 1990s, with overdose deaths involving prescription opioids (natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone) increasing since at least 1999” (Understanding the Epidemic). This first wave created a monster within the United States. Big pharmaceutical companies pushing opioids allowed innocent human beings to get addicted to opioids, and allowed junkies further attachment to opioids with even more at their fingertips, which then resulted in a growing number of deaths. The fast rise in many deaths led the people to sue these big pharmaceutical companies who are completely at fault. “In the biggest opioid case to date, Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of OxyContin, reached a tentative settlement last week with 23 states and attorneys representing roughly 2,000 local governments. The deal would have Purdue Pharma file for bankruptcy and pay as much as $12 billion over time, with up to $4.5 billion coming from the Sackler family, which owns the company” (Opioid Lawsuits Generate Payouts, Controversy). “In the biggest opioid case to date, Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of OxyContin, reached a tentative settlement last week with 23 states and attorneys representing roughly 2,000 local governments. The deal would have Purdue Pharma file for bankruptcy, which the company did on Sunday, and pay as much as $12 billion over time, with up to $4.5 billion coming from the Sackler family, which owns the company” (Opioid Lawsuits Generate Payouts, Controversy). It is extremely obvious that Purdue Pharma and other pharmaceutical companies had about 20 years to make things right. They had the opportunity to slow down this epidemic they created, but the profits were more addicting than these drugs. 

People who strongly believe in medicine and medicine only are the backbone of Big Pharma. They are the ones who push for vaccines and medicine to come out as quickly as possible. Big Pharma produces vaccines, drugs, medical devices, and more. These tools are what keep people from living in pain, living without limitations, they do show a spark of positivity for Americans. This goes to show exactly why there is so much fault within Big Pharma. That is why they are liable for thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in lawsuits. There is a multitude of cases of families against big pharma. In 2020 alone Johnson and Johnson faced nearly 20,500 lawsuit cases over baby powder that can lead to ovarian cancer. Big Pharma puts out hope in the middle of terror and allows people to believe that what consumers are buying from them will help them. But the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to Big Pharma, they do more harm than good, they are not interested in the human race, they are interested in profits. 

Big Pharma is one of the most powerful industries in the world. In fact, they are the most hated industry in the world and are continually losing the trust of Americans because of their chase after profits. Big pharma has administered major waves of overdoses over the course of 20 years to the American people with the drugs of opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids. This epidemic has caused Americans to lose trust in big pharmaceutical companies that produce substances and tools that also help save lives. Pharmaceutical companies have led to thousands of deaths due to the misuse of drugs and medical devices that they are shoving out to Americans.