I'm late to the party watching Dopesick. In part because I knew the story & the script - my PhD & books laid out the playbook for big pharma. But also, the pain of the last four years - I couldn't bear to watch any more of it. But wow 🧵1/. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod… There's nothing excusable on any level about the aims & goals of #PurduPharma and the Sackler family with OxyContin. I researched/wrote about the origins & marketing of the original major tranquillisers - Chlorpromazine (marketed as Largactil - "large acting".

Every now and again - a 🧵.
I studied the history of medicine (MA and PhD). Gratefully funded by @wellcometrust . As were my Postdoctoral Fellowships and my proleptic award (teaching/research/permanent post at @UniofExeter ). Never was I more proud. Our work as historians of science of medicine, engaged, at its core, with the impact of social, economic and cultural impacts on health across time and space. 2/

A thread. @wellcometrust kindly funded me for 13 yrs on MH projects. It’s also funded decades of research on social & economic determinants of health, long-term impacts of poverty, unemployment, stress, loneliness & isolation. I’m aghast re the lack of focus on these things 1/ What about the health impact of millions of job losses; debt of over £2 trillion & all the other physical and mental health impacts of lockdown? As professionals, clinicians, academics and philanthropic funders, are we really having a full and fair debate? 2/