Painkiller Episode 2: This episode started with a girl named Cassy who died at the age of 42. Her mother said she became badly addicted to OxyContin. Let’s recap Episode 2.
Let’s get back into the series. Richard wants to make his new medicine a big sale. So, he made some fake cards of fake doctors so that people will buy it without hesitation. Young girls are trying to impress doctors so that they can buy those pills. Britt & Shannon met with Dr. Morris and asked him to prescribe OxyContin.
They are selling heroin like a magazine subscription. Girls are trying to impress doctors to make sure that they can buy. Britt used Shannon to seduce doctors so that they buy those medicines. But one doctor refused to buy it because it’s an addictive pill. The doctor said to her that OxyContin is just like heroin, so it’s purely addictive. Dr. Fitzgibbons also said OxyContin includes Morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, so this makes it highly addictive. He’s trying to convince Shannon to be aware of that. The next day she met with Dr. Cooper & requested him to prescribe OxyContin. She also said to Dr. Cooper that this medicine can cure pain.
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Edie, along with Dr. Coyle, is trying to go to various pharmacies to find out what’s actually happening with others. They went to a pharmacy where people are badly addicted to these medicines. A stranger literally got mad at the pharmacist when she said she wouldn’t give him medicine. There, Edie found a soft toy which is a trademark of this medicine, and also of the “Purdue Pharma Company.” They make this soft toy to increase marketing; the toy is made in China and then sent to Virginia.
So, China also knows about this medicine. Literally, in every pharmacy, she found this soft blue toy. In Dr. Cooper’s pharmacy, while we see Shannon successfully talking with the doctor and coming out, Edie was there and saw her. She was trying to talk with Shannon, but near her, Britt is also present. Edie asked how much money they get from this advertisement job, but they are trying to hide this. Edie understood that these expensive cars & dresses make young girls convinced to join them. Later, we see Britt & Shannon trying to enjoy a party because Shannon successfully sold lots of OxyContin.
Glen isn’t feeling okay. He is badly tired now & taking pills without any scheduled time. Whenever he is feeling pain, he just takes a pill. He met with the doctor and asked to take the medicine more. The doctor said he can increase the dose because it only affects for 12 hours, so a high dose can be more effective. His Dr. Hartman asked him to talk about his cure in front of the camera so people can think about this more.
At night, we see his stepson Tyler taking some pills of OxyContin and going outside to meet with friends. He understood that his stepfather is badly affected by them & knows this is a drug. But instead of warning his stepdad, he is enjoying himself with his friends and taking these pills. But, Glen is trying to accept that OxyContin really erases his pain. He met with directors & talked about his improvement. Not only Glen but also other people around the country are taking this medicine & sharing their stories in front of the media.
This business strategy of Richard is very effective. Glen became famous & the medicine went for a success. Glen went to a premiere, where Shannon gave him that soft toy along with other goodies. After returning home, Glen was unable to find the pills. He was trying to search everywhere and became frustrated because he couldn’t find them. In the middle of the night, he was destroying everything in his house to find the pills.
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Tyler had those medicines; he handed them over to Glen, otherwise, he would become crazy. So, Purdue Pharma made this medicine to last for 12 hours, but it didn’t last long for most people. Some people are trying to take it more than once a day.
In 1987, Richard is trying to experiment with this medicine. He first used this on a small mouse. After that, he started human trials. If the first human trial succeeds, then only this medicine gets clearance. The first human trial for OxyContin took place in Puerto Rico with some women who were recuperating from gynecological surgery. The second phase involved some cancer patients in America and the third phase involved trials of this medicine throughout America.
However, it affected people very badly as they wanted more OxyContin. But Purdue Pharma is trying to not accept this report as they believe people’s pain is reduced by this medicine. Later, some expert panels tried to review this medicine. FDA is a government agency that never tries to check medicines; they just believe in some paperwork. But for drugs, this process comes down to just one person named Curtis Wright, who analyzed this medicine and found some problems with it. So, Curtis became a problem in Richard’s way. He, along with colleagues, met with Curtis & tried to convince him to approve it.
Later, we have seen Shawn, who is the brother of Edie. Shawn is now in prison, but what happened to him isn’t revealed in this episode. On the other side, Glen is badly affected by this medicine. Will he die or survive? Richard’s evolution became a threat to humans, and how will Edie fight with him? Let’s see in the next episode.