Pain medication is many, varied, confusing and, on occasion, ineffective — which is why researchers around the world dedicate their lives to working out how to treat our discomfort better. This documentary takes a close look at where new drugs come from and how they might help us all in the future.
Created by Mosaic, it follows Colin Froy, a retired policeman living with cancer and chronic pain, as he learns about the world of pharmaceuticals and pain relief. Treading a careful path between biting reality and black humour, it does a wonderful job of describing the long, difficult journey drugs must take, and why pain is so difficult to treat in the first place. It will make you think differently about the bottle of Panadol sitting in your bathroom cabinet, that’s for sure. (Also, as a warning, it is 30 minutes long.) [Mosaic]