The OxyContin family

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain

over a year old but a good article regarding Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family who have made billions with OxyContin.  Critics state that the company and family knew people were becoming addicted but the money was too good.  Main culprit lives in Austin.    

Rudy Giuliani makes an appearance to represent the poor people that were unknowingly addicted and only want some assistance.   Nah, I’m screwing with you.  Rudy was Rudy.  He represented the family to hide their names, quietly settle lawsuits and lobby the govt to keep the money following even at the costs of many lives.  

[Parliament 14227]

OP beat me to it.

http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=59679

A member of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma told people at the prescription opioid painkiller’s launch party in the 1990s that it would be “followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition,” according to court documents filed Tuesday.
 

[futureman 22440]

hindsight is 20/20.  there’s probably an element of greed but the shit was made for cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers.  they didn’t huddle up and say “how can we destroy lives while getting filthy rich in the process?”

[Dewey 3286]

hindsight is 20/20.  there’s probably an element of greed but the shit was made for cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers.  they didn’t huddle up and say “how can we destroy lives while getting filthy rich in the process?”

They kind of did...

The company funded research and paid doctors to make the case that concerns about opioid addiction were overblown, and that OxyContin could safely treat an ever-wider range of maladies. Sales representatives marketed OxyContin as a product “to start with and to stay with.” Millions of patients found the drug to be a vital salve for excruciating pain. But many others grew so hooked on it that, between doses, they experienced debilitating withdrawal.
Since 1999, two hundred thousand Americans have died from overdoses related to OxyContin and other prescription opioids. 

[futureman 22440]

20 minutes ago, Dewey said:

They kind of did...

The company funded research and paid doctors to make the case that concerns about opioid addiction were overblown, and that OxyContin could safely treat an ever-wider range of maladies. Sales representatives marketed OxyContin as a product “to start with and to stay with.” Millions of patients found the drug to be a vital salve for excruciating pain. But many others grew so hooked on it that, between doses, they experienced debilitating withdrawal.
Since 1999, two hundred thousand Americans have died from overdoses related to OxyContin and other prescription opioids. 

I’m sure they did fund research to look at that stuff.  beyond that the writer has an agenda. 

[Parliament 14227]

They recommended that doctors prescribe Oxy for ALL kinds of maladies.  And spent millions of dollars shmoozing them.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

40 minutes ago, futureman said:

hindsight is 20/20.  there’s probably an element of greed but the shit was made for cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers.  they didn’t huddle up and say “how can we destroy lives while getting filthy rich in the process?”

If your question is whether they twisted their moustaches and stated that their goal was to kill people while simultaneously got rich, I will give you that they probably never stated it exactly in that manner.

However they acted in a consistent, reckless manner.   They created a marketing research firm that analyzed how well their marketing and sales efforts were by reviewing scripts written by doctors.  They identified some doctors were writing tens of thousands of scripts but their defense is that they shouldn't question how a doctor decides to practice.  It took a pharmacist to turn in that doctor who is now serving 30 years.

If you read that article you will also see that they understood that patients were taking the pills more frequently than recommended.  Doctors will telling patients to take it more frequently as the effectiveness lessened over time.  Purdue/Sackler Pharm told doctors it wasn't addictive and weaker than morphine (Narrator:  both were lies)  The Sacklers didn't want to tell the doctors to stop.

Finally when the US started to crack down on OxyContin, big surprise that Canadian border towns saw a massive increase of prescriptions as the pills were brought back to the US to be illegally sold.  Purdue Pharm/Sacklers didn't bother to tell anyone of this problem. 

FYI, apparently given the troubles in the US market, Purdue Pharm is now concentrating on medicating China, India and Mexico.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

9 minutes ago, futureman said:

I’m sure they did fund research to look at that stuff.  beyond that the writer has an agenda. 

The agenda was to show how a private company has created a problem that is costing the US billions and billions of dollars to solve.  And they're not really being held accountable.  Maybe they had a fine of 5-10% of their net worth.   I guarantee any criminal enterprise will take that trade-off all day long.  

[TwiceHorn 31435]

Here is kind of the rub.  From everything I read, before PP came along with Oxy, US physicians mostly ignored chronic pain.  PP came along and shifted that paradigm, ultimately to their great benefit and everyone else's greater torment.

It is not terribly uncommon to have a new drug change the standard of care, and sometimes that requires some prodding of the medical community.  In the more usual negative case, the cost of treatment is raised with only marginal benefit.

This, however, went waaaay off the rails.

[BrazilHorn 6586]

53 minutes ago, futureman said:

hindsight is 20/20.  there’s probably an element of greed but the shit was made for cancer patients and chronic pain sufferers.  they didn’t huddle up and say “how can we destroy lives while getting filthy rich in the process?”

They absolutely did this. They turned a full blown marketing engine on in and skewed results around addiction, paid off doctors etc to drive the hell out of sales.

This group of people, the doctors and pharmacists who CLEARLY were over prescribing pills etc etc should all see jail time.

[TwiceHorn 31435]

2 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

The agenda was to show how a private company has created a problem that is costing the US billions and billions of dollars to solve.  And they're not really being held accountable.  Maybe they had a fine of 5-10% of their net worth.   I guarantee any criminal enterprise will take that trade-off all day long.  

Well, usually the tort system is what we rely upon to capture externalities like this, rather than the criminal system.  I'm not sure what is the state of civil, non-governmental lawsuits is.  This might make a good class action, but I sense that limitations have passrd on a great number of claims.  I don't think the individual plaintiffs are very attractive.

[TwiceHorn 31435]

5 minutes ago, BrazilHorn said:

They absolutely did this. They turned a full blown marketing engine on in and skewed results around addiction, paid off doctors etc to drive the hell out of sales.

This group of people, the doctors and pharmacists who CLEARLY were over prescribing pills etc etc should all see jail time.

Well, now, wait a minute. Who is more responsible the manufacture engaged in a fraudulent marketing campaign or the individual prescribers?  Certainly there were individual prescribers who put money ahead of  patient welfare, but the problem is really much more widespread than that.  A fair number of professionals were flat out duped, although you can raise questions about the degree to which the medical community relies upon Pharma for knowledge.

(I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I am asking questions in the Socratic style to stimulate further consideration).

Edited January 17, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[BrazilHorn 6586]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, now, wait a minute. Who is more responsible the manufacture engaged in a fraudulent marketing campaign or the individual prescribers?  Certainly there were individual prescribers who put money ahead of  patient welfare, but the problem is really much more widespread than that.

I think entire supply chain is. Purdue pharma, their shill doctors, the regular doctors and pharmacists who completely overprescribed the pills etc

 

[alincoln 2371]

From 2007-2012, 30,000 opioid pills were distributed to Kermit. WVA . . . per resident.

Americans are now more likely to die from an opoiod OD than in car crash.  

The big class actions are focused on both manufacturers and distributors.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-crisis-attorney-mike-moore-takes-on-manufacturers-and-distributors-at-the-center-of-the-epidemic-60-minutes/

How many $1,500 dollar an hour defense attorneys can you fit in a room?

[Guest]

For some, the goal isn’t to cure any malady.   “How can we make it last?”

[Druggist 303]

I attended UT pharmacy school around the turn of the century.  As far as I know it has been a top 4 school since that time.  We were taught that addiction to opioids would not happen when the meds are used correctly, as prescribed, for legitimate pain.  As students, no one challenged our highly esteemed faculty on this point.  In hindsight it was clearly bullshit and i’ve read a few things implicating the Purdue folks in pushing that false narrative.

the complicity in this crisis runs deep on so many levels.  Lots of pharmacists weren’t questioning these prescriptions, or worse, were partnering with dirty MDs and cranking them out and making $$$.,  those of us who did question the RXs were chastised by MDs for questioning them and wasting their precious time.  

To me, the physicians that enabled their patients have the highest level of responsibility.  They are the primary point in the process where access to opioids is granted.  I tried to stop patients from getting early refills dozens of not hundreds of times.  But 90% of the time I would call the MD and they would say the patient needed it, so I would document the conversation and fill it. Even when I had proof the patients were using multiple doctors and pharmacies.  They did not care.

[alincoln 2371]

It's insane to me that the distributors would move literally millions of pills to small and isolated towns in Appalachia and not question what the fuck was happening.  

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Druggist said:

I attended UT pharmacy school around the turn of the century.  As far as I know it has been a top 4 school since that time.  We were taught that addiction to opioids would not happen when the meds are used correctly, as prescribed, for legitimate pain.  As students, no one challenged our highly esteemed faculty on this point.  In hindsight it was clearly bullshit and i’ve read a few things implicating the Purdue folks in pushing that false narrative.

the complicity in this crisis runs deep on so many levels.  Lots of pharmacists weren’t questioning these prescriptions, or worse, were partnering with dirty MDs and cranking them out and making $$$.,  those of us who did question the RXs were chastised by MDs for questioning them and wasting their precious time.  

To me, the physicians that enabled their patients have the highest level of responsibility.  They are the primary point in the process where access to opioids is granted.  I tried to stop patients from getting early refills dozens of not hundreds of times.  But 90% of the time I would call the MD and they would say the patient needed it, so I would document the conversation and fill it. Even when I had proof the patients were using multiple doctors and pharmacies.  They did not care.

Yes and no.

 

When a physician gives you 4 scrips for a ear infection or some basic illness,  you gotta be able to say, ‘ Are you out of your fucking mind? Just tell me what I really need.”

 

The patient owns it too.

[futureman 22440]

I fully agree that it’s a massive, massive problem.  that can’t be understated.  but it doesn’t change the fact that chronic pain is a very real thing and also a huge problem and a solution for it should be sought out.  an opioid epidemic is not the solution to that problem, but to say that this family could foresee that epidemic and consciously said “we don’t fucking care about that, let’s get rich” is ridiculous.  yes, they were trying to make money; they’re not running a charity.  some of you would be better served if you could calm down and worry more about how to fix the problem than jerk off to this slanted anger-porn. 

[Parliament 14227]

2 minutes ago, slorch said:

Yes and no.

 

When a physician gives you 4 scrips for a ear infection or some basic illness,  you gotta be able to say, ‘ Are you out of your fucking mind? Just tell me what I really need.”

 

The patient owns it too.

No question.  My sister is a pharmacist.  I'm sure things have changed now, but 10 years ago she told me opioids are prescribed 2x what they should.  Patients whined about pain when they need to shut up, and doctors prescribed it to shut them up.  (Seems an addict lying in a puddle of their own puke does not whine about pain.)

[alincoln 2371]

2 minutes ago, futureman said:

some of you would be better served if you could calm down and worry more about how to fix the problem than jerk off to this slanted anger-porn. 

No one here is fixing shit.  

[futureman 22440]

Just now, alincoln said:

No one here is fixing shit.  

actually I’m working on a solution now.  I just need to be given a forum before congress to lay out my plan...

[TwiceHorn 31435]

23 minutes ago, alincoln said:

From 2007-2012, 30,000 opioid pills were distributed to Kermit. WVA . . . per resident.

Americans are now more likely to die from an opoiod OD than in car crash.  

The big class actions are focused on both manufacturers and distributors.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-crisis-attorney-mike-moore-takes-on-manufacturers-and-distributors-at-the-center-of-the-epidemic-60-minutes/

How many $1,500 dollar an hour defense attorneys can you fit in a room?

To be clear, those are not class actions but rather government civil suits in the style of the Mississippi tobacco litigation.  They kind of accomplish the same thing but aren't really the same as an individual civil suit or a class action comprised of individuals.

[TwiceHorn 31435]

7 minutes ago, futureman said:

I fully agree that it’s a massive, massive problem.  that can’t be understated.  but it doesn’t change the fact that chronic pain is a very real thing and also a huge problem and a solution for it should be sought out.  an opioid epidemic is not the solution to that problem, but to say that this family could foresee that epidemic and consciously said “we don’t fucking care about that, let’s get rich” is ridiculous.  yes, they were trying to make money; they’re not running a charity.  some of you would be better served if you could calm down and worry more about how to fix the problem than jerk off to this slanted anger-porn. 

I think this is how it started out:  a pleasant intersection of profit and public good.  But there are piles of evidence that PP quickly began to emphasize profit and ignore the public good.

[atomheartbevo 89618]

5 minutes ago, futureman said:

actually I’m working on a solution now.  I just need to be given a forum before congress to lay out my plan...

These aren’t coming back, no matter how hard you lobby.  

[futureman 22440]

2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

These aren’t coming back, no matter how hard you lobby.  

the bottle clearly states “may be habit forming”

I don’t see a problem. 

[TwiceHorn 31435]

21 minutes ago, Druggist said:

I attended UT pharmacy school around the turn of the century.  As far as I know it has been a top 4 school since that time.  We were taught that addiction to opioids would not happen when the meds are used correctly, as prescribed, for legitimate pain.  As students, no one challenged our highly esteemed faculty on this point.  In hindsight it was clearly bullshit and i’ve read a few things implicating the Purdue folks in pushing that false narrative.

the complicity in this crisis runs deep on so many levels.  Lots of pharmacists weren’t questioning these prescriptions, or worse, were partnering with dirty MDs and cranking them out and making $$$.,  those of us who did question the RXs were chastised by MDs for questioning them and wasting their precious time.  

To me, the physicians that enabled their patients have the highest level of responsibility.  They are the primary point in the process where access to opioids is granted.  I tried to stop patients from getting early refills dozens of not hundreds of times.  But 90% of the time I would call the MD and they would say the patient needed it, so I would document the conversation and fill it. Even when I had proof the patients were using multiple doctors and pharmacies.  They did not care.

It is somewhat naive to believe that patients will use a feel-good drug as prescribed.  Ordinary people will smash that morphine pump in the hospital.  I do believe that narcotic pain relievers, used while actually in pain, probably do not cause high levels of intoxication that the same dose would produce in a patient not in physical pain.  Also, non-narcotic pain relievers are quite effective.  It isn't a completely binary choice between ignoring pain and ignoring addictive potential.

[Zepol87 9185]

I have seen people do some really crazy shit for oxy. I can't even imagine how fucked up those people in W Va are doing. Going from getting as much as they want and abusing it to damn near being cut off cold turkey.

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

33 minutes ago, Druggist said:

I attended UT pharmacy school around the turn of the century.  As far as I know it has been a top 4 school since that time.  We were taught that addiction to opioids would not happen when the meds are used correctly, as prescribed, for legitimate pain.  As students, no one challenged our highly esteemed faculty on this point.  In hindsight it was clearly bullshit and i’ve read a few things implicating the Purdue folks in pushing that false narrative.

the complicity in this crisis runs deep on so many levels.  Lots of pharmacists weren’t questioning these prescriptions, or worse, were partnering with dirty MDs and cranking them out and making $$$.,  those of us who did question the RXs were chastised by MDs for questioning them and wasting their precious time.  

To me, the physicians that enabled their patients have the highest level of responsibility.  They are the primary point in the process where access to opioids is granted.  I tried to stop patients from getting early refills dozens of not hundreds of times.  But 90% of the time I would call the MD and they would say the patient needed it, so I would document the conversation and fill it. Even when I had proof the patients were using multiple doctors and pharmacies.  They did not care.

 

LOUDER FOR EVERYONE IN THE BACK. 

I am by no means giving Purdue Pharma a pass but I sure as hell put equal if not the majority of the fault squarely on the shitty and lazy fucking doctors that over prescribe and don't do their fucking jobs in making sure their patients are taken care of properly. Over medicating not only with pain killers but just about every other medicine is a result of doctors not doing their job properly in many cases and just prescribing pills to make their patients happy. 

Along with countless people that I have come across on WAY too many medications that probably don't need half of them I have dealt directly with someone that was addicted to pain pills who had two horseshit doctors that would prescribe her whatever she wanted. Guess what when those doctors were no longer seeing her and actual doctors that weren't there just to write a scrip she has cut her meds in half, 100% off pain pills and has never felt better. Obviously that is just one specific case but there are thousands of those all over the country with the same issue. Throw in the side effects and one could argue a lot of the drugs people are on do more harm than good. 

This of course isn't all doctors but people fail to understand you are going to have shitty people in every profession that don't do their job, I just think there are far too many fingers pointed at the big bad drug manufactures and not nearly enough at the doctors that could have prevented all of this from happening in the first place. 

And no I don't work for a drug company but am in health care world and see a lot of shit that blows my mind when it comes to patient care and lack there of. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by JimmyHoffa

[52-80 19142]

59 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

 I don't think the individual plaintiffs are very attractive.

well thats just your opinion, man

 

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31435]

The other thing to consider is that it isn't just oxy, it's hydrocodone and codeine, and everything else, too.  PP really unleashed a monster here.  I'm not sure that was entirely foreseeable.

[52-80 19142]

24 minutes ago, slorch said:

When a physician gives you 4 scrips for a ear infection or some basic illness,  you gotta be able to say, ‘ Are you out of your fucking mind? Just tell me what I really need.”

 

The patient owns it too.

you know damn well that that isnt going to happen, even with reasonably-intelligent people. 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

you know damn well that that isnt going to happen, even with reasonably-intelligent people. 

I know plenty of folks who do.  

Pediatricians are among the worst( that I’ve dealt with to this point in life.) There were several times when our kids were little we’d just look at the docs and go through the drill...  what does the kid REALLY need?

It starts early and people think they need all that shit, because a damned doctor said so right?  Might as well be listening to the schlep selling your wife all the unneeded repairs at Midas or the JiffyLube. We as a society are overmedicated as hell.

Edited January 17, 2019 by slorch

[Dewey 3286]

I'll back away, being someone who went to treatment twice for alcoholism, thus spending plenty of time with heroin and opioid addicts, it's really sad to see. The entire chain of pharma, doctors, rx, patients, insurance, treatment is fucked up. If you do not have good money and a good insurer, you are not getting the proper help needed for such an addiction. And it doesnt take much to get addicted. People all the way up and down the chain were/are pretty lazy about it , "back pain? Here, take these, call if you need more". That's what was said to. Guy I knew in treatment, he worked as a mechanic in the military and they needed him back at work asap, he came home with a terrible addiction. I took a girl to detox where she brought a small bag full of scripts that "she needed". That was a holy shit moment for me, doctors told er she needed none of them, after a short time sober, she was back visiting doctors and getting her scripts filled. Pharma lies, doctors lie, rx, patients lie, it's all fucked up. Theres not an ounce of honesty in the whole process, all the characters are pointing the finger at the others.

[52-80 19142]

7 minutes ago, slorch said:

I know plenty of folks who do.  

....

It starts early and people think they need all that shit, because a damned doctor said so right?  Might as well be listening to the schlep selling your wife all the unneeded repairs at Midas or the JiffyLube.

And they do.  Tons of people blindly defer to recognized 'authorities' - be it a doctor, dentist, scientist, engineer, message board expert, whatever

[futureman 22440]

26 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

The other thing to consider is that it isn't just oxy, it's hydrocodone and codeine, and everything else, too.  PP really unleashed a monster here.  I'm not sure that was entirely foreseeable.

oxy is awesome though.  oxycodone is sooo much better than hydrocodone.  

Edited January 17, 2019 by futureman

[TwiceHorn 31435]

21 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

 I do believe that narcotic pain relievers, used while actually in pain, probably do not cause high levels of intoxication that the same dose would produce in a patient not in physical pain.

I have a confession of sorts. As many of you are aware I am a recovered alcoholic 21 years sober. I have never had the "opportunity" to take pain medication legitimately since becoming sober (nor have I taken any illegitimately).

I recently broke my collarbone and my left middle finger. I declined any narcotic pain relievers for the collarbone and survived just fine on Tylenol. However, I had to have a pin and screw inserted in my finger and was given Tylenol three (with codeine). As a recovered addict I am very wary of taking addictive substances.  However, I was warned that I would need this medication after the finger surgery. Accordingly, and as kind of an experiment, I took the Tylenol three, as prescribed, immediately after the surgery.  I noticed no intoxicating effect whatsoever, but it did relieve pain and throbbing and make it easier to sleep while bashing my finger against myself and the bed clothes.  I have taken no more Tylenol three since the day after the surgery, which was a week ago.  My scrip was  for 25 taken one every four hours, so I probably do have way too much of this shit.

This little experiment did confirm for me, to a degree, that taking narcotic pain relievers when actually in pain does not produce an intoxicating effect.  I firmly believe that there is a risk for a recovered addict to take narcotic pain relievers or other mood altering substances and that the risk is restarting the addictive phenomena.  Similarly, there is a risk for anyone who takes narcotic pain reliever's to start up addictive phenomena (tolerance, withdrawal, craving). However, I don't think it is inevitable; some "abuse" of the drug is necessary, that is, taking it too long, after pain has dissipated.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

53 minutes ago, futureman said:

I fully agree that it’s a massive, massive problem.  that can’t be understated.  but it doesn’t change the fact that chronic pain is a very real thing and also a huge problem and a solution for it should be sought out.  an opioid epidemic is not the solution to that problem, but to say that this family could foresee that epidemic and consciously said “we don’t fucking care about that, let’s get rich” is ridiculous.  yes, they were trying to make money; they’re not running a charity.  some of you would be better served if you could calm down and worry more about how to fix the problem than jerk off to this slanted anger-porn. 

Yes this family and company didn't care that people were becoming addicted.   Ok, their goal wasn't to make addicts but they weren't going to voluntarily take action that would harm sales.   Not until several state AGs got on their case and they had to start settling lawsuits, they added some formulation changes in an attempt to prevent people from crushing the tablets to snort.   Thanks for plugging the hole in the Titanic once it's 2 miles underwater.

Purdue Pharm and the Sacklers created a bullet, put the bullet in the gun, put the gun in the hands of doctors/pharmacists, told them it was harmless, and told them to shoot at people.    And then Sackler said the problem was the person who got shot.  (Their official statement was the addicts were the cause of this problem.)

 

 

[52-80 19142]

13 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

 bashing my finger against myself and the bed clothes

bed clothes?  ive only heard that term from my wife.  to whom english is a 3rd language

[Guest Lobo]

Wait, these people live in Austin?

[futureman 22440]

4 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Yes this family and company didn't care that people were becoming addicted.   Ok, their goal wasn't to make addicts but they weren't going to voluntarily take action that would harm sales.   Not until several state AGs got on their case and they had to start settling lawsuits, they added some formulation changes in an attempt to prevent people from crushing the tablets to snort.   Thanks for plugging the hole in the Titanic once it's 2 miles underwater.

Purdue Pharm and the Sacklers created a bullet, put the bullet in the gun, put the gun in the hands of doctors/pharmacists, told them it was harmless, and told them to shoot at people.    And then Sackler said the problem was the person who got shot.  (Their official statement was the addicts were the cause of this problem.)

ok.  I hope you’re as angry at ronald mcdonald and the burger king and the rest of their cronies.  per your logic, they didn’t give a shit about providing fast, cheap food options.  they consciously devised a plan to create an obesity epidemic solely to line their own pockets while maliciously destroying the foundation of public healthcare.  right?

[Druggist 303]

And to be fair, I am sure I filled some scripts here and there that I shouldn’t have. I was just so beaten down and exhausted to deal with them at the moment. I always tried to do my part, but sometimes I failed too.  It sucks to know that, but I also know I was never a pharmacist that drug seekers wait to see because I was a pushover.

[52-80 19142]

i got a sibling doing retail drugging and her biggest bugbear by far are pain-killer junkies trying to abuse their scripts

[TwiceHorn 31435]

10 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

bed clothes?  ive only heard that term from my wife.  to whom english is a 3rd language

Well some of the worst pain I've encountered in this ordeal has been getting my finger or arm caught up in a sheet or blanket or up against the pillow while flopping around in bed. That shit light you up

[cactusflinthead 27598]

Portugal. 

[SHOOTER12 8800]

1 hour ago, alincoln said:

From 2007-2012, 30,000 opioid pills were distributed to Kermit. WVA . . . per resident.

Americans are now more likely to die from an opoiod OD than in car crash.  

The big class actions are focused on both manufacturers and distributors.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-crisis-attorney-mike-moore-takes-on-manufacturers-and-distributors-at-the-center-of-the-epidemic-60-minutes/

How many $1,500 dollar an hour defense attorneys can you fit in a room?

JHC, that is unbelievable.  It's amazing and miraculous that there haven't been many more deaths.   I've been a chronic pain sufferer for years and have been on and off various opioids for years, and I cannot even imagine those numbers.

Edit: Full disclosure, I have never taken Oxy, so I have no idea as to it's effect on a person.

Edited January 17, 2019 by SHOOTER12

[DaysOff 7944]

What is pain? Isn't it caused by inflammation? Remove that and the pain goes away. I've never needed an opioid and honestly would rather have the offending appendage cut off than deal with opioids and constipation.

[SHOOTER12 8800]

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

you know damn well that that isnt going to happen, even with reasonably-intelligent people. 

  gimme drugs gimme drugs...

Edited January 17, 2019 by SHOOTER12

[TwiceHorn 31435]

I just got around to reading OPs article. Check it out, it has some new information at least to me.  Arthur Sackler not only mismarketed OxyContin, he basically created the pharmaceutical advertising industry.

 

According to the article, he was responsible for the over advertising of Valium and Librium also.

Really quite the evil figure.  ** correction, Arthur was dead by the time OxyContin came around. However, he did devise the game plan.

Edited January 17, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Pato del Muerto 52484]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

These aren’t coming back, no matter how hard you lobby.  

This is still made. Until recently, I worked for a company that manufactures 4% and 10% cocaine solution as a topical analgesic. It’s market is not the public, but dentists and plastic surgeons. 

It also made several opiates.