Answer Addiction

Tag: Purdue Pharma opioids

  • Purdue Pharma Accused Of “Corrupting” WHO To Sell More Opioids

    Purdue Pharma Accused Of “Corrupting” WHO To Sell More Opioids

    Officials say the World Health Organization helped Purdue “traffic dangerous misinformation” about opioids.

    Members of Congress released a report last week alleging that the World Health Organization (WHO) has been “corrupted” by the leaders of the opioid industry, particularly Purdue Pharma and Mundipharma International, both of which are owned by members of the Sackler family.

    U.S. Representatives Katherine Clark and Hal Rogers accuse WHO of essentially replicating claims made by these companies’ marketing materials, some of which have been found in court to be inaccurate and misleading.

    “The web of influence we uncovered paints a picture of a public health organization that has been corrupted by the opioid industry,” said Clark according to the Guardian. “The WHO appears to be lending the opioid industry its voice and credibility, and as a result, a trusted public health organization is trafficking dangerous misinformation that could lead to a global opioid epidemic.”

    The report claims that current WHO guidelines, implemented several years ago, still “mirror Purdue’s marketing strategies to increase prescriptions and expand sales.” This includes statistics and statements that have been contradicted by multiple studies, such as the assertion that less than one percent of patients who are prescribed opioids develop a dependence on the drug.

    Additionally, the WHO removed guidelines recommending that pain patients be started on a combination of low-dose opioids and non-opioid pain relievers to instead recommend that highly potent opioids, such as Purdue’s OxyContin, can be given immediately.

    To make matters worse, the WHO did not change its pro-opioid guidelines even after several members of Congress sent a letter to the organization in 2017 warning that Purdue was attempting to take its business worldwide after allegedly causing or heavily contributing to the opioid epidemic in the U.S.

    The WHO did not respond to the letter, which led Clark and Rogers to launch their investigation.

    In addition to mirroring Purdue marketing materials, the report alleges that the WHO was influenced by “industry-funded” advocacy groups such as the American Pain Society and the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

    The American Pain Society recently announced that it may cease operation due to legal costs related to accusations that the organization is little more than a front for opioid industry interests. 

    “While the findings in this report are tragic and alarming, they are unsurprising given this company’s unscrupulous history,” said Rogers. “The WHO must take action now to right the ship and protect patients around the world, especially children, from the dangers associated with chronic opioid use.”

    Clark and Rogers are calling on the WHO to withdraw its current guidelines related to opioid prescription. The WHO has said it is currently studying the report, and as usual, Purdue Pharma issued a statement denying all allegations of wrongdoing.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • John Oliver Takes On Sackler Family, Opioid Epidemic

    John Oliver Takes On Sackler Family, Opioid Epidemic

    “Last Week Tonight” tackled the opioid epidemic again—this time putting the spotlight on the Sackler family members who have reportedly played a role in it.

    John Oliver spotlighted the opioid epidemic for the second time on HBO’s Last Week Tonight. This time, the late-night host recruited the help of actors Michael Keaton, Bryan Cranston and more, to bring to life the 2015 deposition of former Purdue Pharma president Richard Sackler about the company’s marketing of OxyContin. 

    Oliver addressed the Sackler family members’ alleged role in the opioid epidemic, drawing from pages of legal documents that are being made public as more and more municipalities sue the giant drug manufacturer, most famous for marketing OxyContin. 

    He pointed out that the billionaire Sackler family, while donating to arts and research institutions around the world, has made an effort to stay out of the public eye. In fact, Oliver said, there are very few photos, let alone video footage, of Richard Sackler available in the public domain. 

    So, Oliver brought in actors to read the transcript of Sackler’s deposition in a 2015 case brought by the state of Kentucky. Purdue settled with the state on the condition that millions of pages of documents brought as evidence be destroyed, but the deposition was leaked and Last Week Tonight made the entire 140-page document available online. 

    The show also put together a website, The Sackler Gallery, to showcase the family’s role in the opioid crisis. On the website, actors Bryan Cranston, Michael Keaton, Richard Kind and Michael K. Williams give life to Richard Sackler’s testimony. 

    “The launch of OxyContin tablets will be followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition,” Williams says in one clip, repeating Sackler’s infamous proclamation. “The prescription blizzard will be so deep, dense and white.” The Sacklers have said that this comment was taken out of context.

    In another clip, the actors repeat Sackler’s proclamation that people who abused opioids were to blame for the epidemic. He referred to them as “criminals,” trying to shift the blame away from himself. 

    Oliver rightly noted that while Sackler seemed to take issue with these people’s excessive drug use, his company did nothing to curb suspicious drug sales that were earning the company billions. 

    “He is furious at the people who are part of the problem, but the people he’s angry at helped make him incredibly rich,” Oliver said. “You don’t see Adam Levine making a song condemning horny middle aged women because that would make him hypocritical.”

    View the original article at thefix.com