Abstract
Abstract This article focuses on the social biography of the Soviet-made antiviral pharmaceutical “Arbidol” (umifenovir), used in Russia as a popular medication to treat influenza. Despite doubts cast on its efficacy, the drug remained a staple for treating upper respiratory infections in Russia. When H1N1 arrived in Siberia in 2009, a shortage of medicine on pharmacy shelves caused by Arbidol’s rapid bulk purchasing led to a social outcry, as well as to discussions about the political corruption underpinning the drug’s production, promotion, and supply chain. By tracking the ways in which Arbidol endured over time through different epidemic waves, this article explores how both viruses and antiviral medicines weave medical and political efficacies together. By using Arbidol as a productive hinge, I analyze the ways in which conspiracy in times of social and medical crisis demonstrate how pharmaceutical and political efficacies are mutually co-constituted.
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