All language subtitles for Trafficked.S04E04

[sirens, horns honking]

[Miguel Angel Vega] These
people, they belong to this

cartel La Union, and basically
they control the entire city.

[sirens]

Their headquarters
are in Tepito.

One of the biggest
black markets in the world.

I mean anything you want,

anything at all,
you can find it in Tepito.

[Mariana van Zeller] I've done
dozens of stories about the

cartels in Mexico
over the years.

But not long ago, my friend,
journalist Miguel Angel Vega,

called me to say that he'd
gained access to an emerging

black market that
I had heard about,

but never been able
to crack, until now.

It's not cocaine,
weed or heroin.

And it's not guns.

[gunshot]

It's a potentially deadly
product that's making its way

across the U.S. Border,

and may already
be in your home.

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Do you think
we're gonna be safe?

[Miguel Angel Vega]
I don't know.

I can't, I can't tell you.

They said, "Nada se mueve, nada
respira, sin nuestro permiso."

[Mariana van Zeller] Wow,
so nothing moves here,

nothing breathes here
without our permission?

[Miguel Angel Vega] Right.

[sirens]

[Mariana van Zeller] Tepito,
it's one of those places that

you can't really go in
with cameras unless you know

somebody there, right?

[Miguel Angel Vega] Right,
'cause they have people all

over the place, like, lookouts
and you never know who

they are, it can be anybody.

[Mariana van Zeller] I've
worked with Miguel many times

over the last decade, but I've
never seen him this nervous.

You have been spending a lot of
time here, making contact, yeah?

[Miguel Angel Vega]
It's been very difficult.

We finally were able to speak
with one of the people that

belong to La Union.

He said, "First of all,
I want to talk to Mariana,

because sometimes
they are cops."

They believe you're a cop.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Of course. Always.

And that's what's
happening right now?

[Miguel Angel Vega] We're
meeting the buyer, right.

- Right now.
- We're going there.

Okay. Here is the place.

[Mariana van Zeller] Yeah.
Are you gonna call him?

[Miguel Angel Vega]
Yeah, I need to call them.

[phone ringing]

[speaking Spanish].

[Miguel Angel Vega] Okay.

[engine revving]

[Mariana van Zeller] La Union,
the cartel we're waiting to

meet has a notorious
reputation for violence.

And a newfound interest in the

troubled American
healthcare system.

[Reporter] The next time
you go to the drug store,

you might be in
for sticker shock.

[Reporter] Medical bills across
the U.S. are extremely high.

[Reporter] Drug companies have
quietly raised the price on

hundreds of medications.

[Mariana van Zeller] Americans
pay more for prescription meds

than people in
most other countries.

While price trends have been
decreasing around the world in

recent years, in the
U.S., they've soared.

[Woman] $600 for one
month's supply of insulin.

[Woman] $8,591.

[Man] It's how much?

[Woman] $18,000.

[Man]
That's so outrageous!

[Woman] His prescription,
it was $1,000.

I now have to go in and
tell my 9-year-old son,

"I couldn't pay for it."

[Erin Fuse Brown] The difference
between the U.S. healthcare

system and basically every
other developed countries'

healthcare system,
is in the U.S.,

a bad diagnosis
might mean bankruptcy.

But in these other countries,

there is a government
body that can step in,

and negotiate, or
regulate maximum prices.

In the United States, the
government cannot step in

to regulate what the
outer limit is.

So pharmaceutical companies
can charge whatever

the market will bear.

[Mariana van Zeller] As American
healthcare and insurance

companies rake in billions of
dollars in record profits,

patients are struggling to

afford the
medications they need.

This has opened the door to
some unsavory new players

eager to cash in on the demand
for cheaper prescription drugs.

And that's how I've ended up
here, on a sketchy corner

in the most dangerous
neighborhood in Mexico City.

- Oh, there's him.
- That's him?

[Miguel Angel Vega]
Oh, he's over there. Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Taxi?

[Mariana van Zeller] They drive
around in a taxi to pretend

they're not who they are?

[Miguel Angel Vega] Taxis are,
like, the biggest lookouts.

[engine revving]

[Mariana van Zeller] This is
a member of La Union,

a man we'll call Señor T.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Okay. Gracias.

Okay, so that was sketchy.

[Miguel Angel Vega] Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay,
that's the, that's the lookout,

do you see?

He's got a few of these,
like, dirt bikes, almost,

like motorbikes with us.

So now we're
following this guy.

Don't lose him, Miguelito.

[Miguel Angel Vega] I won't.

[Mariana van Zeller] We're
being escorted with the

lookouts on bikes.

See?

And he even has his, uh,
you see the lights on?

[Miguel Angel Vega] Yeah.
Kind of escorting...

[Mariana van Zeller] Super
professional, huh?

It's so crazy that this is
happening in the capital,

you know?
In Mexico City.

[Miguel Angel Vega]
Let's get out of the car.

[dog barking]

[distant sirens]

[barking]

[Mariana van Zeller] Señor T's
associate Amarillo,

not his real name,
is a sicario, a hitman.

The two of them work closely
to keep La Union's various

business endeavors
running smoothly.

[Mariana van Zeller] As the
price for legitimate medicine

goes up, the demand for
cheaper alternatives grows,

and so does
La Union's operation.

[Mariana van Zeller] Señor T
and Amarillo agreed to try and

get me access to another
part of their operation,

but it's going to take time.

So I follow the trail
of their fake meds north

to the U.S. Border.

[♪ lively Mexican music]

Pharmacy, drug store,
dental clinic.

Doctor's office.

Algodones is a
Mexican border town

that caters to America's sick.

Everything is in English here,
almost everything.

The town is home to more
pharmacies, doctors, dentists,

and opticians in a
concentrated area than

anywhere else in the world.

Oh, wow, and that's
the border right here.

So that's the United States.

Algodones is not alone either.

At cities all along the border,

and in tourist hotspots,
like Cancun and Puerto Vallarta,

Mexican pharmacies are booming.

[Kristine Schachinger]
Heart, diabetes, thyroid.

[Mariana van Zeller] How many
meds do you take a day?

[Kristine Schachinger]
The count now is 12.

[Mariana van Zeller] 12
different medications

every single day?

[Kristine Schachinger]
Yeah. Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Kristine
Schachinger is a 55-year-old

tech-worker from Las Vegas.

Her situation is one that many
Americans know all too well.

[Kristine Schachinger] And
so you sit there every month,

"Can I pay this?
Can I pay this?

Can I pay for the
health insurance?

Can I pay for
the medications?"

And so you just, you want to
cry because, um, if I don't

take the meds and get the
blood sugar down, I could wind

up being one of those people
that loses a limb, you know?

Everything I have would
kill me if I didn't have the

medications for it.

[Mariana van Zeller] Yeah,
that's them right there.

After exhausting other options,
Kristine has decided to follow

the path of the
"medical tourists"

heading south on the hunt
for affordable medication.

But what most Americans don't
know is that the cartels

could be stocking the shelves.

[Mariana van Zeller] So Kristine
it's your first time down here.

[Kristine Schachinger] It
is my first time, yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] Kristine
Schachinger has come to Mexico

in search of cheaper meds.

[Kristine Schachinger] I wanted
him to teach me how to do this,

to navigate this process.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Kristine's friend, Josh,

has made this trip before.

How many people do you think
you've gotten medication or

brought down here?

[Josh] Oh, over the years,
at least, uh, 20, 25 people.

[Mariana van Zeller] Wow.

I mean, it looks like
an American pharmacy.

Essentially it sells all of
the American products,

except it has a whole shelf
of tequila and mezcal.

[Kristine Schachinger]
Thank you.

[Mariana van Zeller] Hi!
You got your meds?

[Kristine Schachinger]
Hi! I did.

[Mariana van Zeller] So
this lasts you a whole month?

[Kristine Schachinger]
That lasts me a month, yes.

This is four months' worth.

[Mariana van Zeller] In the
U.S., Kristine pays $585 for

a month's supply of this drug
and that's with insurance.

Here, she just bought it
her month's supply for $71.

In a way, it's sort of

life saving for you
to have Mexico here.

[Kristine Schachinger]
Oh, definitely, yeah.

It means that I can get a
medication I couldn't get

in the United States.

[Mariana van Zeller] I guess the
risk is counterfeit medication

and not knowing exactly
what's in the medication.

[Kristine Schachinger] And yeah,
that's why I checked with Josh.

Because I was a little concerned
that I could get, like,

counterfeit medications but.

- Yeah.
- He told me this pharmacy

has been here forever.

There's nothing
sketchy about them.

I'm sure there's maybe others at
different places that could be.

[Mariana van Zeller] I hope
her meds are exactly what

she thinks they are,

produced by a legitimate
pharmaceutical company.

But there's a
chance they're fake,

manufactured by a
cartel like La Union.

And that's the thing;
we just don't know.

[Detective] We're doing a two
location search warrant today.

We're hitting both
'locs' simultaneously.

[siren]

[sirens]

[Officer] So approximately two
weeks ago, we got intel that

this little tiny mini-mart
is selling pharmaceuticals

without a license and

it's a front for
counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

[Mariana van Zeller]
How close are we?

[Officer] 30 seconds out.

[radio chatter]

We're making the
approach right now.

[Officer] Sheriff's department,
search warrant.

Come out with your hands up.

[radio chatter]

[Officer] One more coming out.

[Mariana van Zeller] So they've
handcuffed two suspects

that were inside.

[Officer] We're going
to start searching.

[Mariana van Zeller] The
sheriff's department, they think

they're hiding
counterfeit medication.

[Officer] Oh (bleep)
look at this.

[Officer] There's
a false bottom?

There's some false
compartments in there.

There's a huge box
full of everything.

[Officer] This is good stuff.

[Mariana van Zeller] Today's
raid turns up dozens of boxes

of potentially
counterfeit meds.

And officers tell me that this
is just the tip of the iceberg.

Around the country, law
enforcement has seen an

uptick in the number of seizures
by air, by land, and sea,

as criminal operations
attempt to smuggle fake meds

into the country.

At the L.A. Sheriff's
Department headquarters,

much of the basement is now a
storeroom for seized counterfeit

and illicit medicines.

So this whole box is
full of pharmaceuticals?

[Officer Wong] Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Officer
Brian Wong is a pharmacist,

who works as an expert in
black market pharmaceuticals.

[Officer Wong] So, if we look
here, the labeling is showing

you that it's
amoxicillin and ambroxol.

So, amoxicillin is your
classic antibiotic and

ambroxol is more of your
expectorant to get, like,

any phlegm out from cough.

But our concern is whether or
not there's actually active

pharmaceutical ingredient in
here, to make sure that we're

taking care of that infection.

[Mariana van Zeller] And I'm
assuming that even if there is

no toxic ingredient in there,
it is dangerous anyway,

because that means that
a person is not being

treated as they should.

[Officer Wong] Correct.

[Mariana van Zeller] And this
is actually made in India?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

So this one actually says
here, it came from India.

[Officer Wong] Yeah.

[Mariana van Zeller] And you
guys got it here in the U.S.

[Officer Wong] Correct.

[Mariana van Zeller] That's
not as unusual as it may seem.

For those Americans who aren't
within reach of a MexGcan

border pharmacy, there's an
even simpler way to buy meds

without a prescription.

You get a lot of results.

There are currently around
40,000 online pharmacies

operating worldwide.

And the vast majority
of them are illegal.

And this one says, "A
prescription is not required."

So, they're selling prescription
drugs without a prescription.

And then, you could get a 10%
discount if you use BitCoin.

Ordering may be easy,

finding out where these
pills are actually made

is a bit trickier.

Let me see what this one is.

But buried deep on the FAQ
page of one of the pharmacies

that same
country pops up again.

And this one says, "The
medications are manufactured

in India by an Indian
state licensed company."

Both the legal and illegal
side of India's pharmaceutical

industry have exploded
in the last few decades,

earning it the nickname,
the world's pharmacy.

[horns honking]

[screeching]

[♪ upbeat Indian music]

[honking]

[Mariana van Zeller] Oh, wow.

You see this?

I mean, both sides of the
street, these are all little

pharmacies, and there's dozens
and dozens, if not hundreds of

these little streets all
over this neighborhood.

And it's all
basically pharmacies.

And all of these boxes that you
see are all full of meds, too,

that they're distributing
around to these pharmacists.

It's truly incredible.

I've never seen a place
like this in my life.

35% of all counterfeit
meds originate in India.

I want to see how they're
made and distributed here,

in the biggest pharmaceutical
black market in the world.

[honking]

Through a local contact, I
connect with a man who says

he's a
distributor of fake meds.

And apparently,
he's willing to talk.

[Mariana van Zeller] Alpha.

You want me to call
you Alpha, right?

[Alpha] Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] How
long have you been in the

pharmaceutical world?

[Mariana van Zeller] From what
we've been told, "Alpha" is a

distributor of fake medicine.

What is your role
in this business?

- The fake medication?
- No, no.

- 101%.
- Okay, okay.

Um, but, do you think, do you
know people who are working in

the informal markets?

[Mariana van Zeller] We know
Alpha's not telling the truth,

because just an hour before
this interview, he'd shown our

local producer a video of a
truck full of fake medication

that he was looking to sell.

So I try a different tack.

If I wanted to see some of the
manufacturing, which area of

India do you think I
should go through?

[Mariana van Zeller]
Here in Delhi?

Or is it in other
parts of India?

[Alpha] No, not in Delhi.

[Mariana van Zeller] Up north?

[Mariana van Zeller]
Little factories.

[Mariana van Zeller] So we've
come all the way from the

United States to meet
people who are involved in the

counterfeit business.

Do you know anyone that you
could put us in touch with?

- No?
- No.

[Mariana van Zeller] Alpha is
getting more and more nervous.

[Mariana van Zeller] He thinks
the people over there are

listening, the
guy left already.

So can you tell me how
you know so much about this

counterfeit
medication business?

[Mariana van Zeller] Um, I
think he just got cold feet

and got nervous.

The cameras, you know, the
fact that we're on a rooftop

and there's possibly
people looking, or listening.

So now we have our local
producers there talking to him

trying to understand what's
the matter and why did he

change his mind.

It's incredibly frustrating,
um, oh, he's here.

Um, so, you're okay?

Okay.

So I think he's willing...

Are you willing to talk to us?
You can look to me.

[Mariana van Zeller] So you can
arrange for me some connections.

[Alpha] Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] So you
know a little bit about the

business, you know people?

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay.
So you're not in the business?

[Alpha] No, I'm not.
I am not.

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay.
Okay. Thank you.

Again, frustrating,
but small steps.

[♪ mysterious music]

[honking]

Oh, my God.

We're just arriving
in this town,

at the foot of the Himalayas.

We've actually been asked not
to say the name of the town

and we're driving more and
more, in sort of, to these

remote areas of this region.

[cows moo]

Alpha has texted me a time and
a location where I'm to wait

for a call from an illegal
pill manufacturer

he's calling "Amir".

As night falls,

the paved roads give way
to narrow cobbled lanes.

And then...

Amir arrives.

He's on edge.

And asks us to
keep the cameras off.

He doesn't want anyone from
our crew to know exactly where

his place is.

So he insists we go
with him, in his van.

And finally, after a
long, disorienting drive.

Rolling?

- Uh-hmm.
- Yeah, all good?

He tells us to follow him to the
back of an old rundown building.

Wow, this is the machine, huh?

[Amir] Yes, yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Can I see?

How many pills do
you make in one night?

[speaking native language].

[Mariana van Zeller]
25,000 pills?

[Amir] Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] Wow.

So what is this?

[Mariana van Zeller] What
is the name of the pills?

[Mariana van Zeller]
Oh, it's amoxicillin.

So that's an antibiotic that
you have to be prescribed.

We travel with amoxicillin.

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic
used to treat a number of

common bacterial infections,

like strep throat, pneumonia
and ear infections.

Can I, can I
take a pill to see?

- Okay.
- Yes, yes.

[Mariana van Zeller]
It's really powdery.

And is it, is it
actually amoxicillin?

Does it have the
active ingredients?

[Mariana van Zeller] No?

[Mariana van Zeller] So, you
say it's amoxicillin, but what

is actually,
what's the powder?

What is actually in it?

[Amir] Calcium.

- This is calcium?
- Yes.

[Mariana van Zeller] But
you're selling it off as if

it's an antibiotic?

[Amir] Mm-hmm.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Where, is it easy to buy?

You can buy the powder?

[Mariana van Zeller] And
can you make the color?

Can you make
whatever color you want?

[Mariana van Zeller] Is it just
dye or what's the color made?

[Amir] Food coloring.

- Food coloring.
- Uh-hmm.

[Mariana van Zeller] Oh, wow.

So you use food coloring and
you can make any pill look

whatever color you want and
then you sell it as if it's

the real thing?

Whoa, that is crazy.

You know, there's a lot of
people that have been harmed.

There's even people who have
died because of fake medication.

Do you feel bad?

[Mariana] Do you ever think
maybe you should stop doing it?

[Mariana van Zeller] Why
did you start doing this?

Were you working in a
legal manufacturing facility?

[Mariana van Zeller] So you
used to work in a factory and

then you learned
how to make pills.

Do you make more money now
than you did when you were

working in the factory?

[Mariana] Do you sell it to
a pharmacy or a distributor?

[Mariana van Zeller] Are they
staying here in India or are

they going abroad
to other countries?

[Mariana van Zeller] Do you
think that these could

end up in America?

[Mariana van Zeller] With no
oversight or testing,

rogue manufacturers like Amir
can put whatever they want into

their products, on sloppy and
unsanitary production lines.

Fake medicines have been found
to contain everything from

mercury and cement, to
arsenic and rat poison.

And that can have
devastating consequences.

[Reporter] Four Indian-made
cough and cold medicines could

be linked to the death of
66 children in the Gambia.

[Mariana van Zeller] Only days
after we returned to the U.S.,

news breaks that contaminated
Indian cough syrup is behind

an outbreak of pediatric
kidney failure, leading to the

death of 70 children.

[Reporter] Basically stuff
that's in antifreeze and

air conditioning are in these
medicines and they should

never be.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Scientists estimate that over

250,000 children die each year

from malaria and pneumonia

left untreated by fake
or substandard drugs.

I've seen how it
can happen in India.

And I've just gotten the
invite to go inside a lab

of a Mexican cartel.

[♪ funky electronic music]

[horns honking]

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm back
in Mexico City to meet up with

the cartel, La Union.

They're finally ready to give us
more access to their operation.

[Mariana van Zeller] La Union
has granted me a meeting with

"Dr. Loco", one of the cartel's
chemists, who also runs

his own legal medical
practice here in Mexico City.

[Mariana van Zeller] He rattles
off a list of drugs he produces,

including antibiotics,
painkillers and

some very popular brand
name pharmaceuticals.

[Mariana van Zeller] Hmm.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-hmm.

[Dr Loco] Si.

[Mariana van Zeller] Starch.
Oh, starch. Wow.

[Mariana van Zeller] Dr. Loco
tells me that every day in

labs and factories all over
Mexico, fake pills like these

are being made
by the thousands.

He provides "quality control,"
making sure that every pill

and package looks
exactly like the real deal.

Wow, it has the, it actually
has the little cotton inside

to make it look really real.

[Mariana van Zeller] The
attention to detail makes me

think again about Kristine and

whether she's actually
getting what she needs.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-hmm.

[tapping]

[Mariana van Zeller] One part of
the business that I'm still

unclear about is how these

counterfeit meds
make it to market?

How and where are they sold?

So the cartel has told
me to wait here,

at the Santa Muerte shrine.

Santa Muerte or the saint of
death, is a popular figure in

Mexico worshiped by many

in the world of drug
trafficking and crime.

[horns honking]

[in Spanish] Hello,
how are you? I'm good.

Inside?

[in English] It's a
fitting spot to meet, since

I'm heading out on a
sales call with a hitman.

[♪ fast rock music]

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm
riding shotgun with Amarillo,

one of the members of La Union
that I met on my previous trip.

[Mariana van Zeller] Wow, he's
even stopping the traffic for us

[Amarillo] Uno, dos, tres...

[Mariana van Zeller] Okay.
[in Spanish] I hear you.

[in English] Okay.

Amarillo doesn't want our
cameras following him,

but he's agreed to keep
his microphone on

so I can listen in.

Okay, so yeah, I
can see the pharmacy.

And we're not allowed to film
it, but it's a corner pharmacy.

Okay, he's inside,
he just walked inside,

there's a couple of
other people inside.

[speaking Spanish].

[Mariana van Zeller] "Hola
Señora" He said. Good afternoon.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Holy (bleep).

[Mariana van Zeller]
Okay, and he's coming back.

[Mariana van Zeller]
Uh-hmm. Okay.

So this is how La Union
distributes their fake meds.

They force
pharmacies to carry them.

[Mariana van Zeller] Desperate
patients, ruthless suppliers,

I could feel a
perfect storm brewing.

[Reporter] A new investigation
by the LA Times has found that

pharmacies in several Mexican
cities are selling counterfeit

prescription pills containing
fentanyl and methamphetamine.

[Mariana van Zeller] This news
story broke just a few weeks

after we returned from Mexico.

[Reporter] 71% of 17 pills
it tested came back positive

for illegal drugs.

[Mariana van Zeller] After all
I've seen on this journey,

the news is hardly surprising.

The cartels are doing
what they do best,

making easy, ugly money.

And with fake prescription
drugs, much of their product

doesn't even have
to cross the border,

because American patients
are so desperate,

they're often willing
to come to Mexico.

Do I think the cartels
are greedy and ruthless

for putting the lives of
vulnerable patients at risk?

You bet.

But we also need to look in
the mirror and ask some

tough questions about what's
happening right here at home.

That's why I've traveled
to the nation's capital,

to confront an industry that
often seems more concerned

with profits than patients.

[Anne Pritchett] When
you are purchasing a

counterfeit medicine, you're
playing Russian roulette.

It could be paint thinner,
it could be antifreeze,

it could be rat poison,
it could be fentanyl,

which as we all know
at this point is deadly,

you just never know.

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm in
Washington DC to meet with

Anne Pritchett,

Senior Vice President of
Policy and Research

at the trade group PhRMA.

PhRMA represents the nation's
leading pharmaceutical

companies, most of which
have seen their products

counterfeited by
criminal organizations.

[Anne Pritchett] It is 10
times more profitable to be

selling counterfeit medicines

than it is to be
trafficking in heroin.

[Mariana van Zeller] The
groups' members work with

law enforcement agencies across
the country to keep fake meds

out of the hands of Americans.

But there's a certain irony
here, the fact that big pharma

plays a major role in making
medications unaffordable

is actually helping to
create this black market.

[Man] Washington is talking
about price setting

some medicines, but it won't
stop insurers from shifting

costs to you.

[Mariana van Zeller] In
2022 alone, PhRMA spent

$29.2 million more than
any other lobbying group.

Much of it to combat the
inflation reduction act and

the efforts to set
limits on drug prices.

What we've heard again and
again from Americans that

we've spoken to, is the reason
why we're risking our lives

and going to places like
Mexico and India is because

we cannot afford the medication
in the United States.

Why is it that Americans are
paying more for their meds

than anyone else in the world?

[Anne Pritchett] I think
it's just comparing

apples and oranges.

And do think that,
you know, in America,

we want to and we feel that
patient choice and prescriber

choice is very important,
and that patients should have

access to the best
innovation that there is.

The U.S. is a world leader
in biopharmaceutical R&D.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-hmm.

[Anne Pritchett] It's a system
that's worked, we think.

[Mariana van Zeller] Have you
spent time talking to some of

these Americans that can't
afford their medication?

[Anne Pritchett] Not
me personally, no.

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm, I'm
not being, I'm not being smart.

I'm actually interested,
because I've spent time

talking to some of them and

it's really
heartbreaking stories.

[Anne Pritchett] Uh-hmm.

[Mariana van Zeller] And
I understand that it's a

profit-driven industry,

but I do, therefore, think
it's a conflict of interest

and there should be somebody
advocating for Americans.

And that doesn't seem to
be the case right now.

[Anne Pritchett] I wouldn't
call it a conflict of interest

when we're making lifesaving
medicines available--

[Mariana van Zeller] But
if it's not affordable,

the medication isn't
doing anything.

[Anne Pritchett] Again, I
do think though, this is why

we have an insurance system
that isn't working,

when the insurance
industry continues to increase

co-insurance and out-of-pocket
costs for patients while they

continue to pocket substantial
rebates and discounts.

So I think to just say, "It's
industry's fault for having

high list prices,"
isn't a valid argument.

[Mariana van Zeller] I'm not
saying it's just an industry.

I think the system is broken,
and I think it has worked in

other countries limiting the
price of drugs by having the

government interfere.

[Anne Pritchett] And limiting
the availability of drugs and

limiting access to medicines.

And that's not
what Americans want.

[Mariana van Zeller] What I go
back to is that the medication

only works if
people can afford it.

PhRMA is quick to blame
insurance companies, middlemen

and politicians for America's
failing healthcare system.

But the argument that their
record profits are used to

fund research and development
doesn't line up with the

latest numbers.

In 2021,

seven of the ten biggest
pharmaceutical companies

spent 37% more on
sales and marketing than

they did on research
and development.

And 10 companies made
$102 billion in profits

that same year, a 137%
increase from 2020.

[Erin Fuse Brown] The American
healthcare system is built to

benefit the corporations and
industries that have grown up

to make money in the
healthcare system.

I think that there is a moral
sense that the amount that

pharmaceutical companies
are starting to charge

is unconscionable.

[Mariana van Zeller] Josh,
what do you think of America's

healthcare system?

[Josh] I think it's broken.

When, you know, the richest
country in the world,

its citizens can't afford the
medications that they need and

have to come down to what a
lot of Americans consider

a very poor country.

[Mariana van Zeller] Uh-hmm.

[Josh] To be able to actually
get their medications.

[Mariana van Zeller] Right.

[Kristine Schachinger] I didn't
do anything to get all these

illnesses, all of
these are genetic.

Most started in my
teens and 20s.

[Mariana van Zeller] Mm-hmm.

[Kristine Schachinger] So, you
know, we've gotta stop, like,

blaming people and we have
to stop treating it like.

It's on them, because the
system has made it so hard

to get healthy and stay well.

[Mariana van Zeller] Mm-hmm.

As long as America prioritizes
the profits of big pharma over

the wellbeing of our citizens,
we are complicit in filling

the pockets of the cartels
and black market operators

who are getting rich off
of our broken system.

Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.