In news that just might shock absolutely no one, five big pharmaceutical companies are being charged with deceiving both doctors and patients about the potential risks and benefits of taking certain prescription painkillers (think OxyContin, Percocet, et al).
The Deets
Last week, a complaint was filed in a California courtroom alleging that five of the biggest opioid manufacturers (Purdue Pharma, Cephalon, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Endo Health Solutions, and Actavis) purposely tried to obscure the addictive nature of opioid drugs like Percocet and Oxy. The claim also alleges that the companies touted “benefits that had no scientific support” in an attempt to broaden the drugs’ market and, duh, make gobs and gobs of (more) money.
District Attorney Tony Rackauckas explained, “We have charged these pharmaceutical companies for knowingly harming public health by waging a massive campaign to sell huge quantities of these dangerous drugs for profit.”
Is It Even Enough?
Of course, “massive campaign” could almost be an understatement. Opioids—which are “narcotics that are derived from opium and act like heroin”—are the most commonly prescribed class of drugs in America. They’re crazy addictive and cause twice as many deaths as heroin and coke put together! Though they can be useful for cancer sufferers, there’s no evidence that these kinds of drugs are helpful for long-term, non-cancer pain relief.
The court complaint, which was filed in California, charges that the pharmaceutical companies “marketed opioids as rarely addictive, misrepresented the evidence of their efficacy for treating chronic noncancer pain, trivialized their serious side effects and falsely assured doctors and consumers that opioids were safer than over-the-counter drugs.” Yikes.
Fortunately, experts are starting to recognize the dangers of these drugs, as more communities begin to form prevention and treatment incentives to address the growing problem.
Anyone with pertinent industry information to share regarding drug companies and opioids can contact the Orange County District Attorney’s Opioid Consumer Protection Hotline at (714) 347-0501.
Sponsored DISCLAIMER: This is a paid advertisement for California Behavioral Health, LLC, a CA licensed substance abuse treatment provider and not a service provided by The Fix. Calls to this number are answered by CBH, free and without obligation to the consumer. No one who answers the call receives a fee based upon the consumer’s choice to enter treatment. For additional info on other treatment providers and options visit www.samhsa.gov.
