logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
53m 19s

Long Reads: Big Pharma's Toxic Record w/...

JACOBIN
About this episode

From the HIV/AIDS crisis, to the opioid epidemic, to the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmaceutical corporations have been accused of profiteering at the expense of countless lives. Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now and the author of a new book called Pharmanomics: How Big Pharma Destroys Public Health, joins Long Reads to discuss an industry that exploits public research and denies crucial medicine to poor countries.


Read another interview with Nick on the Jacobin website, "Big Pharma Reaps Massive Profits by Ripping Off Public Research and Weaponizing Patents": https://jacobin.com/2024/01/big-pharma-profit-public-research-patents-intellectual-property


Long Reads is a Jacobin podcast looking in-depth at political topics and thinkers, both contemporary and historical, with the magazine’s longform writers. Hosted by features editor Daniel Finn. Produced by Conor Gillies, music by Knxwledge.

Up next
Nov 23
Behind the News: War and Neocolonialism in Sudan w/ Mosaab Baba
<p>Mosaab Baba, who wrote an <a href="https://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php/sudan-africas-regional-neo-colonial-war" rel="nofollow">article</a> about Sudan for <em>Black Agenda Report</em>, looks at what’s behind the horrendous civil war. <a href="https://tokyopaladin.subst ... Show More
53m 1s
Nov 20
Dig: 500th Episode Party w/ Brace Belden and Liz Franczak
<p>Featuring Brace Belden, Liz Franczak, Gabriel Winant, Aziz Rana, Sumaya Awad, Thea Riofrancos, and Alex Lewis. Toasts and roasts celebrating 500 episodes of <em>The Dig</em>. Plus a short speech from Dan. Live at Brooklyn’s Littlefield.</p> <p>Support <em>The Dig</em> at <a hr ... Show More
41m 2s
Nov 19
Confronting Capitalism: Economic Populism at a Crossroads
<p>While Democrats recently scored some much-needed electoral wins, the party remains in crisis. Recent reports like Welcome PAC’s “Deciding to Win” argue that the Democrats must drop unpopular cultural positions and recenter economic demands. Can a populist economic agenda shorn ... Show More
37m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Downstream: Big Pharma’s Secrets w/ Nick Dearden
Nick Dearden has been an economic justice campaigner for over 20 years, and his attention was on the pharmaceutical industry when Covid-19 hit. But as the world began to sing the praises of pharmaceutical companies, Nick saw an unprecedented PR coup. Giant corporations capitalise ... Show More
1h 19m
Sep 2023
Why One Drug Company Held Back a Better Drug
<p>For decades, drugmakers have argued that patents are critical to bringing new drugs to the market. But in 2004, when a promising H.I.V. treatment emerged, Gilead Sciences decided to slow-walk its release to maximize profit on the company’s existing patents.</p><p>Rebecca Robbi ... Show More
35m 38s
Jul 2023
Sawbones: Patents vs. Life-Saving Drugs
<p>John Green recently made a video asking Johnson & Johnson not to extend their patent on a tuberculosis drug, which would keep it exclusive and expensive. Dr. Sydnee and Justin talk about how drug patents work, the recent (good) update about bedaquiline specifically, and the ne ... Show More
38m 46s
Oct 2021
Sick Money (Pt 2): How Big Pharma made a killing from the pandemic
The second of two episodes this week, taking a deep dive into the pharmaceutical industry.Big drug companies have won plaudits for their work producing Covid vaccines within a year of the start of the pandemic. How much money are they making from them? And why are vaccines for ot ... Show More
24m 39s
Sep 2023
Will Big Pharma Ever Face Justice for the Opioid Crisis?
The Supreme Court recently blocked a bankruptcy deal that would have given full immunity to the members of the Sackler family who once controlled Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Trevor Noah calls out the frustrating contradictions within the initial deal and shares his tho ... Show More
29m 1s
Oct 2021
Long Covid and the Blind Spots of American Medicine
<p>One of the most frightening, least understood aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is what’s come to be known as “long Covid.” Stories abound of young, healthy adults who experienced mild or asymptomatic coronavirus infections and recovered fairly quickly, only to experience an ... Show More
1h 24m
May 2024
This Is a Very Weird Moment in the History of Drug Laws
<p>Drug policy feels very unsettled right now. The war on drugs was a failure. But so far, the war on the war on drugs hasn’t entirely been a success, either.</p><p>Take Oregon. In 2020, it became the first state in the nation to decriminalize hard drugs. It was a paradigm shift ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2022
How Big Pharma Corrupts Medical Knowledge – Dr. John Abramson : 901
<p><strong>WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS.&nbsp;CHECK THEM OUT!</strong></p><p><strong>Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://paleovalley.com/DAVE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://paleovalley.com/DAVE</a>, use code&nbsp;<strong>DAVE</strong>&nb ... Show More
1h 20m