Chinedum Aguwa
sochum@worldmun.org
Chinedum Aguwa is a senior living in Kirkland House from West Bloomfield, Michigan concentrating in History of Science and Global Health and Health Policy on the premedical track. In WorldMUN, she is SOCHUM chair. Chinedum is also involved in Kuumba Singers, the Center for Wellness and Health Promotion, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In her free time, she sews clothes, reads dystopian novels, and hikes!
Topic: The Impacts of Pharmaceutical Companies and Drug Abuse
This background guide examines the evolution of Big Pharma, from its historical roots and scientific contributions to its role in some of the world’s most devastating public-health crises. For instance, there is discussion on the U.S. OxyContin-fueled opioid epidemic, a case study in how aggressive marketing, regulatory failures, and targeted exploitation of vulnerable populations, in economically distressed regions such as Appalachia and the Rust Belt, ignited one of the deadliest drug crises. Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, BioNTech, Moderna, and Purdue Pharma, collectively have substantial political, economic, and social influence globally, boasting a global revenue of $1.42 trillion in 2021. By exploring drug development, global inequities, intellectual property debates, minority health disparities, and the structural forces that enabled corporate misconduct, this guide allows delegates to assess how pharmaceutical influence intersects with human rights, global health, and social justice.