Was wir wussten - Risiko Pille (2019)

A large advertising campaign is used by a (fictional) pharmaceutical company to drive the launch of its new birth control pill, “Bellacara.” Young girls are promised not only reliable contraception, but also clear skin, a fuller bust, a better figure, and great hair. A birth control pill as a lifestyle product. As part of the “Action Team” responsible for the launch, Dr. Carsten Gellhaus is tasked with preparing the “Medical Document,” containing all the medically relevant data required for regulatory approval. But even before “Bellacara” reaches the market, Gellhaus learns that the low-dose pill may pose a health risk. In his private life, too, the father of two teenage daughters is at a turning point: his marriage is in ruins, and, with almost youthful exuberance, he falls in love with none other than his boss, Sabine. As the launch of “Bellacara” draws nearer, Carsten Gellhaus comes under increasing pressure and is increasingly troubled by his conscience. How loyal can he be to his employer in the face of the scientifically documented risks of the pill? Doesn’t he have a moral duty to protest the launch of this birth control pill? When he tries to at least mention the pill’s risks through new wording in the package leaflet, his superiors—including his boss and lover, Sabine—put him on the spot: either he does what the company’s management demands, or he is out the door. Frustrated, Carsten Gellhaus gives in to the pressure from the company’s management and submits the “Medical Document” without his proposed additions. “Bellacara” is then approved as a birth control pill and, in addition, as a treatment for skin blemishes. At the end, we see a shareholders’ meeting, where women harmed by thrombosis and “Bellacara” demonstrate against the pharmaceutical company’s pill. Among the affected women, Carsten Gellhaus spots his mother’s former caregiver. She nearly died and is suffering severely from the aftereffects of the thrombosis. Carsten Gellhaus is shocked. For a moment, it looks as though he is going to throw in the towel and resign. But then it becomes clear: Carsten Gellhaus carries on—after all, the next new drug still has to be brought to market.