Michele Mellara and Alessandro Rossi directed this disturbing documentary that asks whether leading pharmaceutical companies are actively working to prevent citizens in the world's poorest countries from gaining access to medications. The so-called Big Pharma, the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies, are not hurting (their pre-tax profits were more than the combined profits of the other Fortune 500 companies), yet their intensive defense of patents (using the argument of “intellectual property”), coupled with their aggressive negotiations with key international organizations, enables these companies to maintain a lucrative monopoly on the global pharmaceutical trade. Charges of price gauging and details of hardball attempts to prevent lower-cost generic drugs from being distributed are combined with jolting accusations involving the refusal of these pharmaceutical companies to focus on developing medications for diseases unique to third world countries, such as malaria and pediatric HIV. According to Health for Sale, creating drugs to treat these diseases would simply not generate profits comparable to sales of pharmaceuticals in the industrialized world. Combining on-location footage (including a visit to an AIDS clinic in South Africa) with hard-hitting interview clips, this powerful documentary is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Health for Sale
(2007) 53 min. DVD: $49.95: public libraries & high schools; $195: colleges & universities. California Newsreel. PPR. Volume 24, Issue 1
Health for Sale
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