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World of Pain

Pharma companies selling opioids worldwide and profiting as addiction and overdoses mount, a global investigation finds.
World of Pain
Illustration by Rocco Fazzari
The Examination
Drugs
World of Pain

Grünenthal pushed its latest opioid as a safer option. People around the world got hooked.

Fueled by misleading marketing claims, the German drugmaker’s painkiller tapentadol is on the rise.

March 20, 2025

Tapentadol becomes most prescribed opioid in Australia

The Examination
Drugs
World of Pain

In the US, opioid-maker Purdue is bankrupt. Its global counterparts make millions.

Tactics used to persuade U.S. doctors that potent painkillers could be safely prescribed have been used abroad, an investigation shows.

September 17, 2024
The Examination
Drugs
World of Pain

Chronic pain and opioids: a crisis goes global

With one in four adults worldwide affected by persistent pain, experts urge a shift away from treatment with opioids, which carry risks of addiction and overdose.

September 17, 2024

World of Pain is an investigative collaboration involving The Examination, Finance Uncovered, Paper Trail Media, ZDF, Der Spiegel, Der Standard, Tamedia, IrpiMedia, Initium, Metrópoles and The Washington Post.