The real price of cheap medicines

SynopsisIt's not only our clothes that are made cheaply in India and China: our drugs are produced there, too. In these countries, materials are cheaper and wages are low. In India, pharmaceutical giant Aurobindo manufactures cheap antibiotics, pharmaceuticals and painkillers for export to 150 countries. Many low-wage countries are infamous for their lax attitude to laws governing health and safety, working conditions, and the environment. Under what conditions are medicines produced in India? And who pays the true price? This film sets out to investigate exactly how our cheap drugs are made.

Jos van Dongen has earned his laurels in investigative journalism. From uncovering construction fraud to exposing Ayaan Hirsi Ali, having lied about her refugee background. From reporting on Dutch mortgage to the production of cheap medicines in India, including its social and environmental costs, he has led some of the biggest scoops. He won several prizes including 'De Loep' (Investigate Journalism award), 'De Tegel' (Dutch National Journalism Award) and the 'Pfizer press prize'. He studied journalism in the Netherlands, at the University of Kansas (USA) and Political Science at the Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands).