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| Protesters honor those who died during the opioid epidemic as Purdue Pharma stood trial in a Boston Court in August 2019 |
The conflict between victims of opiods and big pharma has come to a head this year, with Purdue Pharma standing trial in Boston court for the production of Oxycontin. The trial had previously reached a settlement of 10 to 12 billion, but a new revelation has caused that agreement to come to a screeching halt. To give context, Purdue Pharma's drug OxyContin is the prime fuel behind the opiod crisis, and is one of the contributors to the over 700,000 deaths across the nation. During the trial, the prosecutors issued nearly 33 subpoenas against both the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, and Purdue Pharma itself. The subpoenas revealed a previously undisclosed wire transfer of around 1 billion dollars. This amount prompted many lawyers that previously endorsed the tentative settlement amount to seek another 3 billion in damages.
This opiod crisis first started out because of the misbranding of Oxycontin opiod painkillers as an addiction free drug. This resulted in the first wave of the opiod crisis, in which doctors prescribed patients opiods like Oxycontin which resulted in widespread misuse of the drug. And even when addiction to OxyContin was running rampant the Sackler family continued to claim their drug was safe for use. This marketing push kept doctors prescribing the drug and resulted in more and more people across the country getting addicted.
This lawsuit is almost reminiscent of another prominent court case this year (Varsity Blue anyone?). However, in this case the opiod crisis has prompted multiple states to file lawsuits against the company, and as such the defendants will likely not be able to get off as easily as those who participated in that college admissions scandal. However, the fact that this crisis was even allowed to continue raises a lot of questions about medical facilities in general. Like our government medical companies have the first priority of protecting the health and well-being of our nation's people. It is when elites control the medical field that incidents like this happen at all. This incident demonstrates that the concept of elitism doesn't just stay in politics, it permeates into all aspects of our life.
What do you think about this incident? Do you think that the company should just have to pay a large settlement, or do you think they should be shut down? Tell me what the correct punishment for this should be.
5 comments:
I think that Oxycontin and other strong painkillers such as alprazolam (or more commonly known as Xanax) should be banned altogether. There are many cases where those who experience tremendous pain are given these painkillers and become addicted to them. I've read somewhere before that these products are as addictive as heroin.
As the government continues to crack down on substances, such as nicotine and THC products found in vapes, they should also tackle the huge opioid crisis happening in America right now. It seems to rival the opioid crisis that took place in China during the cultural revolution, and continues to be a serious epidemic.
We should also take more steps to figure out non addictive alternatives to strong painkillers.
I think one of the most significant issues in the current opioid crisis is the lack of accurate information and knowledge surrounding these drugs. The article described how Purdue Pharma initially advertised OxyContin as a non-addictive and relatively safe painkiller, leading to it being prescribed more and more. I think the company should definitely be shut down and forced to pay a settlement, as they not only used false advertising, but are also partially responsible for the increase of opioid use and addiction today. This demonstrates the dangers of opioids, but also the need for more research on the drugs. Doctors should consider all other possible options before prescribing opioids to patients, and if nothing else works, then they need to ensure that patients understand the negative effects of opioids and how to use them safely.
I think it's fine for now if Purdue Pharma pays for the agreed settlement of $12 billion, knowing that states like New York will continue to file more suits against the company. However, I don't think it's enough just for the company to be dissolved, for the Vox article stated that another company would take its place and continue to sell OxyContin. So, I hope that future lawsuits will lead to the leaders of Purdue Pharma to be indicted with criminal charges.
With regards to the opioid crisis in general, I think the federal government needs to allocate more funds towards treatment of those suffering from opioid addiction. Since states have the power to provide for public health, maybe the federal government could give state governments categorical grants that fund rehabilitation facilities. States then have the freedom to choose to accept the grant, which makes sense since opioid abuse differs per state.
Purdue Pharma should pay the $12 billion settlement and be forced to shut down. They should also have to pay for the creation or the funding of rehabilitation centers across the US especially in states with higher opioid use. Because they were able to falsely advertise their drug without any repercussions, the government should look towards funding the FDA more and tightening the rules for approval and usage. They should have tested to fully confirm that this drug was not addictive and was safe. Doctors were given false information on how to manage this drug so they believed that it was safe enough to prescribe to many patients.
Because the opioid issue is such a big problem in the US, I think the government needs to create guidelines to educate more people on its uses and effects. Some funds could be allocated towards creating alternatives for painkillers that lead to addiction. This is no longer an issue we can hide from and we need to focus to how to rehabilitate people who have gotten addicted and crackdown on companies that are responsible.
I think everyone has presented really convincing analysis on this piece, but I think Jossie's analysis on this piece provides a more holistic view of the conflict. While immediate shutdown would be advisable, as Riddhi and Ava mentioned, it would certainly not solve the opiod crisis as another big pharmaceutical company would simply come into power right after. I think that Purdue Pharma should definitely first pay off damages to all of its clientele that were hurt by its false advertising and then that new legislation on pharmaceutical marketing and testing should be passed to limit to control these large corporations have on the distribution of drugs.
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