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Since the late 1990s, the United and States and countries across the globe have been plagued by rising overdose rates, related deaths, and illicit drug availability due to the unrelenting opioid epidemic. It forms a crisis derived from the lies spread by pharmaceutical companies and over-prescribing by healthcare providers, a man-made crisis so vast it can accurately be called the ‘Crime of the Century.’
Since 1999, overdose deaths from opioids — including recreational and prescribed — have more than quadrupled in the United States, with over 500,000 lives claimed. As the opioid epidemic continues to affect the lives of countless families, it’s also causing significant financial strain across the United States as more and more measures are taken to combat it. In fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that the economic burden of the opioid epidemic in the United States is $78.5 billion a year. This number is a summation of the costs of healthcare, addiction treatment, lost productivity, and criminal justice.
The consequences of the opioid epidemic have been devastating, and yet there seems to be no end in sight. In fact, overdose rates are skyrocketing as we battle another global crisis — the COVID-19 pandemic. Thousands of Americans are falling victim to this public health crisis each year, but the original culprits like Big Pharma have yet to be held accountable for their deplorable actions.
However, one filmmaker and documentarian is making it his mission to call attention to this growing epidemic. After recently releasing his COVID-19 documentary, “Totally Under Control,” Alex Gibney is tackling the opioid crisis in “Crime of the Century.” This eye-opening documentary is set to air on HBO Max in a two-part series on May 10th and 11th. Check out the official teaser for the documentary below.
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American film director Alex Gibney is one of the most prolific documentarians in the industry, with an impressive depth of work that spans countless discourses and addresses many controversial topics. Some of his films cover topics like COVID-19, Scientology, and the Elizabeth Holmes scandal.
His most recent documentary — before “The Crime of the Century” — “Totally Under Control” dives into the Coronavirus pandemic and the role of former President Donald J. Trump. Unfortunately, this documentary did not make the shortlist for this year’s Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, but Gibney has rightfully compiled 12 Emmy nominations, five Emmy Awards, three Academy Award nominations, and Academy Award, a Writers Guild of America Award, and much more.
In his latest exposé, “The Crime of the Century,” Gibney lifts the veil on one of the worst public health crises in United States history and examines the roles Big Pharma, political operatives, and government regulations played in all of it. Specifically, the film takes a look at the confidential Justice Department memo that was issued back in 2006. This memo provided information on a criminal case against Purdue Pharma that claimed that the privately held pharmaceutical company was aware of the highly addictive nature of OxyContin and purposefully misled the public and Congress of its most dangerous quality. According to HBO:
The opioid crisis has resulted in a country ravaged by corporate greed and betrayed by some of its own elected officials, following the aggressive promotion of OxyContin, a highly addictive drug from family-owned pharmaceutical giant, Purdue Pharma. Purdue worked closely with the FDA to get the highly profitable pain medication approved for wider use, promoting its safety without sufficient evidence, and creating a campaign to redefine pain and how we treat it.
When government regulators or Justice Department officials tried to mitigate the wrongdoing, Purdue Pharma and companies like Cardinal-Health that were huge opioid distributors would settle the cases, keep the details private and continue on unabated. As tens of thousands of people succumbed to opioid addiction, the fortunes built by the opiate business became the crime of the century, and the market that OxyContin had opened paved the way for even deadlier prescription drugs.
Shockingly, Purdue and its executive board of corporate greed never faced criminal charges for its unlawful deception of the powerful and deadly prescription drug. Like hundreds of other pharmaceutical companies across the United States, Purdue Pharma continued to make billions on all its ventures.
Gibney’s documentary is mainly centered on the heinous and unethical proceedings of Purdue Pharma, whose role in the opioid epidemic is insurmountable. While criminal charges haven’t been brought against this despicable company, they have been involved in a multi-year legal battle to unseal secret files in Kentucky court. In this ferocious legal battle, dozens of documents have been produced that reveal the company’s marketing strategy in selling OxyContin pills. These documents also detailed Dr. Richard Sackler’s — a founding family member of Purdue — role in the entire scheme. The new availability of what should be incriminating documents is one of the main reasons why film director, Alex Gibney, was able to create this prolific documentary.
The documents produced in court date all the way to the early 1990s, where internal emails and other records detailed Purdue’s preparation and strategies for the 1996 launch of the opioid, OxyContin. The family-operated pharmaceutical company made plans to target this powerful opioid to non-cancer patients who suffered from chronic pain. Many of these newly-leaked documents also paint a picture of Purdue’s complete indifference to the rising opioid epidemic as they tirelessly fought off threats to its sales.
Below, we provided a few excerpts from the timeline of Purdue’s unlawful activities that laid the groundwork for the opioid epidemic:
By 2013, the Commonwealth of Kentucky was finally able to bring a lawsuit against Purdue and its board of executives. From the timeline above, it’s abundantly clear that Purdue was well aware of the addictive attributes of OxyContin. But instead of being concerned over the effect it may have on the people of our society, they were more wrapped up in the profitability of the opioid once it hit the markets.
Alex Gibney’s “The Crime of the Century” is featured in two parts that will be released on May 10th and May 11th on HBO’s new streaming platform HBO Max. Part one of “The Crime of the Century” places a hard focus on Big Pharma and the atrocities of these corporations — including Purdue Pharma — that fueled the epidemic that we are in today. Viewers will have the opportunity to hear from industry experts like opioid specialist Dr. Andrew Kolodny and past employees of Big Pharma companies like former Purdue sales rep. Mark Ross. Other interviews in Part one of “The Crime of the Century” include:
In addition to these specialists and industry experts, “The Crime of the Century” also features a heartbreaking interview with Roy Bosley, whose wife tragically died from an opioid overdose — just one of over half a million victims this horrific epidemic has claimed since its start.
Part two of the incriminating exposé takes a broader look at the other side of the opioid epidemic, with a focus on the unethical PR campaigns that lied about the safety of opioids. The documentary also shines a light on the countless sales reps from corporations like Insys, who encouraged doctors to issue massive amounts of these prescriptions to patients. But, most importantly, Gibney brilliantly highlights the hundreds of thousands of individuals who found themselves in the dangerous throes of opioid addiction.
HBO explains that part two of “The Crime of the Century” will shine “a spotlight on the mass marketing of the synthetic opioid fentanyl and examines the connections between drug manufacturers and government policy.” Additionally, HBO shares:
While America’s silent epidemic was killing 40 people a day, Insys Therapeutics, an upstart opioid manufacturer of fentanyl, continued to bribe doctors to overprescribe. Startling video of sales retreats and promotional material speak to a deep cynicism among company employees and a disregard for the widespread, nefarious corporate practices. A complex scheme to defraud the insurance companies existed side by side with fraudulent marketing tactics while lawmakers continued to turn a blind eye to the implications of a complex pipeline that delivers billions of pills around the country.
Part two will also feature shocking interviews from former DEA agent, Joe Rannazzisi, and former DEA attorney Jonathan Novak. Other interviews include:
Importantly, part two will feature personal stories of tragedy from the survivors and family members of opioid victims. With newly-leaked documents and behind-the-scenes footage, “The Crime of the Century” truly emphasizes how despicable drug companies are still profiting from the massive crisis they have all created.
Eric R. hails from Maine and does extensive work in the field of behavioral health as both a professional writer and passionate advocate for those suffering. From his own personal encounters with mental illness, he speaks to those seeking healthy relief from depression and anxiety and embraces wellness both personally and professionally. After losing friends and family to the darkness of suicide, Eric aims to educate and inform about the nature of treatment and render it accessible for all those seeking a way out of darkness and despair.
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