You know those characters who seem like heroic helping-hands, but turn out to be the villain all along? The type where they use their closeness or understanding of the hero to eventually turn on them? These villains know exactly how the hero operates, they know the hero’s strengths and weaknesses and their impressionability to different habits.
“Health” companies with different audiences or intentions tend to market themselves just like the villains detailed above. Below are three general forms of companies that appear to champion solutions to previously established health issues, but in reality, create an entire new subset of issues to deconstruct, making them both “heroes” and “villains” in society.
Opioid Companies (The “hero” to pain, the “villain” to addiction)
According to georgetownbehavioral.com, Oxycontin was first introduced by Purdue Pharma in 1995. This pill was marketed as a less-addictive opioid that still assuaged extreme pain. Soon after its introduction, opioid addictions across the country began to skyrocket. Despite this, Oxycontin continued to be heavily produced and prescribed. Between 1999 and 2021, there have been 645,000 deaths related to opioid addiction, according to cdc.org.
While these may just be numbers to some people, they are real-life statistics that take a detrimental toll on people’s lives. Addiction deteriorates not only the addict, but also the support system that surrounds them. Rehab, hospital visits, fighting and tears are very common within a house filled with addiction.
An anonymous source revealed to Optic that “I fought with my family for years, as well as missed out on many important events in my kids’ lives. There were points where I didn’t think I would ever be a part of their lives again. It is really scary, but it served as a motivator for recovering, although extremely difficult. In rehab, I watched a lot of people continue down the rabbit hole, without any support around them. Many don’t see the upside of ceasing to take the drug.”
Another anonymous source revealed that after surgery, her “father was provided with an entire bottle of opioids. He immediately flushed the bottle down the toilet because he was aware of the potential dangers of beginning to take opioid drugs, prescribed or not.” Many are not aware of the problems with opioids and other drugs, especially if prescribed by a doctor.
Purdue Pharma had claimed to be a hero, eager to help people, but rather villainized themselves as more people became addicted to the drug.
E-Cigarette Companies (The “hero” to cigarette addiction, the “villain” to health)
After a rise and fall of cigarette use in the 1900s, the 2000s hosted the introduction to E-Cigarettes: a revolutionary product that changed the lives of smokers and future generations. E-cigarettes are battery-powered and deliver nicotine through a liquid which turns into an aerosol. The act of inhaling E-Cigarattes even diverted from the term “smoking,” coining a new term: “vaping.”
E-cigarettes introduce a massive risk tonon-smokers because of the addictive ingredient of nicotine, despite companies’ attempts to market it as a positive alternative to cigarettes.
One notorious E-Cigarette company, Juul, advertises to youth using “nefarious tactics to hook children on their products, including bright, attractive ads, giveaways at concerts and festivals and sleek, easily concealed products” as well as “fun flavors,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
An investigation into Juul’s marketing found that the company had “relentlessly marketed vaping products to underage youth,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. E-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals, such as acetaldehyde, acrolein and formaldehyde. These chemicals can be the root of lung and heart disease. Despite this, E-cigarettes have continuously been advertised as “healthier” and recommended to help quit smoking.
These companies claim to have created the solution to a prevalent addiction, but in reality created an entirely new addiction to a different demographic of people.
“If you have never smoked, you shouldn’t use e-cigarettes,” said WHS Health Teacher Susan Kolesar. Kolesar personally believes that “vaping is not better at all” and “in fact, I think the sheer assumption that it is ‘better’ than smoking tobacco cigarettes can lead to increased use, tolerance and addiction.”
Pharmaceutical Companies (The “hero” to health, the “villain” to the pocket)
In 2023, a diagnosis requiring a life-saving drug also bears a large price for people who need it, placing a significant burden on companies and patients alike. While pharmaceutical companies are undoubtedly heroic by producing life-saving treatments and need high amounts of revenue to continue innovation, the lack of affordability to patients causes companies to be a villain as well.
The large umbrella of Pharmaceutical companies referenced in this section is a subset known widely as Big Pharma, a range of companies that heavily intersect methods of big business and pharmaceuticals and have since the early 20th century.
Today, Big Pharma consists of companies like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck; all of which contribute to medicinal innovation, but at a large cost while also taking in large amounts of profit. According to fiercepharma.com, in 2022, Pfizer made more than $100 billion in profits.
Similarly, Johnson & Johnson made $94.9 billion in 2022. For example, according to theatlantic.com, Abiraterone is a drug produced by Johnson & Johnson developers that does not cure, but “extends life on average by four months” for those suffering with metastatic prostate cancer. This drug costs $10,000 a month at its lowest adjusted price for patients, amounting to a minimum price of $120,000 per year. In 2021, the median American household income value was $70,784, according to the United States Census Bureau.
Often, the justification for these prices is the proclaimed need for revenue that promotes innovation and inter-Pharma competition. However, innovation and the burden of prices are not mutually exclusive; they exist simultaneously and it is time for reconsideration of product pricing to make it more accessible for all. Opioid Companies, E-Cigarette Companies and Big Pharma Companies may target many different audiences and represent many different values, but the three major branches of health companies all pose as the “hero” of health issues, ending up as a “villain” to the people they intend to assist.
Opioid Companies, E-Cigarette Companies and Big Pharma Companies may target many different audiences and represent many different values, but the three major branches of health companies all pose as the “hero” of health issues, ending up as a “villain” to the people they intend to assist.