Community News
Pharmaceutical companies exposed in recently released documentary “First Do o Pharm!”
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
“Medical knowledge is under commercial control — but most doctors don’t know that which is why the problem has persisted for so long.” Dr. Aseem Malhotra
The mainstream media, beholden to pharmaceutical advertising dollars, will never tell this story. That’s why Dr. Aseem Malhotra is turning to you – the public – for support. Your support will ensure that this message remains untainted by commercial interests, free to speak truth to power without fear, or favour.
For years, we have placed our trust in the pharmaceutical industry. We have been taught to believe that: every ailment, every discomfort, every imbalance can be fixed with a pill, or a prescription. We rely on doctors to provide solutions, to guide us toward health, and we believe in their ability to heal us. What if the very things we’re depending on—those pills, those medications—are doing more harm than good?
The truth is, too often, the drugs were prescribed to mask the symptoms without addressing the root cause. They provide temporary relief, but at what cost? Side effects, dependency, long-term damage to our bodies, and even worse poisons disguised as medicine that slowly chip away at our well-being.
We live in a system where the goal isn’t to cure but to keep us coming back. A system where profit is prioritized over true healing. The same pharmaceutical companies that make billions each year on these medications benefit from keeping us sick, from treating symptoms instead of promoting wellness.
This isn’t about distrust in our doctors, but we must acknowledge that they, too, are caught in this system. They follow guidelines shaped by big pharma—prescribing drugs without always knowing the long-term impact they’ll have on our bodies, our minds, and our lives.
The harsh reality is this: we are drowning in a sea of pharmaceuticals, pushed upon us by an industry that has long since abandoned its moral compass in pursuit of profit. Big Pharma, more powerful and profitable than ever before, has infiltrated every aspect of our healthcare system. Our regulatory bodies, meant to protect us, have instead become puppets of the very corporations they should be overseeing.
Let’s be clear – this is not a victimless crime. The cost is measured in human lives. In suffering, and the erosion of trust in a system that should heal, not harm.
“First Do No Pharm,” a documentary that premiered September 23rd, 2024 in London’s Odeon theater, takes a deep dive into how pharmaceutical corporations unethically influence medical journals and regulatory agencies in ways that harm patients — while generating profits for themselves.
Dr. Aseem Malhotra, the U.K.-based cardiologist behind the film, told The Defender, “It’s a real eye-opener for people in the mainstream.”
The documentary included commentary from international doctors and public figures including: Vandana Shiva, Ph.D., Dr. Satish Gupta, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kim Witczak, Jay Naidoo, Calley Means and others.
Dr. Malhotra is a world-renowned expert in the prevention, diagnosis and management of heart disease. In the film, he explains how he grew critical of the practice of widely prescribing statins — drugs that lower a person’s cholesterol — when he noticed his patients reported side effects at a higher rate than what the medical literature reported.
His observations suggested roughly 1 in 5 patients who took statins had muscle pain and fatigue, while the published literature said the risk was closer to 1 in every 100. When Malhotra and other doctors wrote articles about the issue in The BMJ, the pharmaceutical industry called for the articles’ retraction and encouraged news outlets to depict doctors critical of statins as propaganda spreaders.
“Most doctors don’t even realize that the research that they use to make [decisions] is often, if not mostly, unreliable and potentially harmful — purely for the purpose of making money for these industries,” Dr. Malhotra shares.
The solution is to correct the commercial distortion of scientific evidence by eliminating conflicts of interest. Regulators can’t be taking money from pharmaceutical companies.
The film highlights how millions of people were killed when the pharmaceutical industry hid data on the harmful effects of their products. “Drugs should be independently evaluated by scientists who have the rigor to do these sorts of analyses, who are not connected to industry,” explains Dr. Malhotra.
The film has received great reviews so far because it shows viewers the root of the problem, but also offers solutions. The two-hour film is available for download for roughly $10.
The time for complacency is over. We must demand transparency, accountability, and a drastic reduction in the influence of Big Pharma on our lives. Your support for this film is more than a contribution – it’s a declaration that you won’t stand idly by while our health is bartered away in boardrooms.
REFERENCES:
https://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6340
https://cerealkillers.gumroad.com/l/nopharmfilm
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