Pain Hustlers is based on a true story documented in Evan Hughes 2022 non-fiction book of the same name, which was based on a 2018 New York Times article titled "The Pain Hustlers". The film was inspired by the story of Insys Therapeutics, a start-up pharmaceutical company that marketed a fentanyl spray named Subsys for pain management. Insys used a "speaker program" to bribe doctors into advocating for the drug without making clear its highly addictive properties and risks to patients, leading to it being prescribed to patients who did not need it. The company was founded by billionaire Dr. John Kapoor, who was most likely the inspiration for Jack Neel (Andy Garcia) in the new Netflix film. The film is highly fictionalized, but many of the characters share similar roles in the story to their real-life counterparts. Liza Drake (Emily Blunt) is a composite character that takes on many characters from the original article. Pete Brennar (Chris Evans) most resembles real-life sales manager Alec Burlakoff.