How many lives is a billion-dollar industry worth?
📢 New in the Exclamation Mark series: "Deadly Pill!". This powerful 20x20 cm painting exposes the raw reality behind the pharmaceutical billion-dollar industry.
In this artwork, we see a single image symbolizing a much larger problem: a mouth taking a pill. At first glance, this pill—oxycodone—appears to be a remedy for pain. But appearances are deceiving. What many don't see is the devastating trail of addiction and death that this painkiller has left behind. Oxycodone and its close relative, OxyContin, have claimed tens of thousands of lives worldwide. What was once prescribed as a solution for pain management has led to an epidemic of addiction. In the United States alone, more than 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2021, with a significant portion attributed to drugs like oxycodone.
Behind this tragedy lies a ruthless pharmaceutical industry that profits billions from selling these dangerous substances. The pain of the patient is transformed into a source of immense profit. It’s not the patients who benefit from the long-term dependency these drugs cause, but the pharmaceutical companies who line their pockets.
This industry, led by companies like Purdue Pharma, has deliberately downplayed the risks of addiction and encouraged doctors to prescribe these medications en masse. All in the name of maximizing profits, with the result that millions worldwide are trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction and illness. Because the sicker the patient, the larger the profit margin.
The painting reminds us of the dark side of medical progress: a world where profit is placed above people’s health and lives. The deadly pill about to be swallowed is a symbol of the blood money earned at the expense of the vulnerable.
Let this artwork make you think. Who is really winning in this battle? And what is the true cost we are paying?