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Watch the trailer for VICE on HBO's episode “Cost of Living & Paradise Lost”

Inside the world of clandestine chemists and the DIY bio-hackers trying to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry.

This week on VICE on HBO, we take a look at the future of DIY pharmaceuticals and the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Paradise lost

Hurricane Maria caused an estimated $90 billion worth of damage to Puerto Rico, and about 13,000 residents are still without power. Five months after the hurricane hit, VICE's Isobel Yeung traveled to the American territory to see how citizens were coping without basic services or sufficient aid — exploring the social and political ramifications of the Trump administration's lagging support in what many consider one of the world's last colonies.

Cost of living

Americans today spend more on pharmaceuticals per capita than anyone else in the world, and more than one in five say they have trouble affording their prescription drugs. But they might not know about the alternative pathways to medicine. VICE's Hamilton Morris explores the world of clandestine chemists, DIY bio hackers, and grey markets to see if a more democratized medicinal future is indeed possible.

See it Friday at 7:30 and 11 p.m. EDT on HBO.

Watch more VICE on HBO