Subscribe to Receive the Daily Report

Sunday, May 29th, 2016

‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem

Author:     Harriet Ryan, Lisa Girion and Scott Glover
Source:     Los Angeles Times
Publication Date:     May 5, 2016
 Link: ‘You want a description of hell?’ OxyContin’s 12-hour problem
Stephan:   I have known a number of scientists and physicians who have worked for the pharmaceutical industry. They are generally decent people trying to make life easier for others. I have also known several upper management people in the same industry. Scumbags to a person interested in nothing but profit. That contradiction, I think, lies at the heart of what is wrong with this industry. Here is the ghastly story of OxyContin

The drugmaker Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin two decades ago with a bold marketing claim: One dose relieves pain for 12 hours, more than twice as long as generic medications.

Patients would no longer have to wake up in the middle of the night to take their pills, Purdue told doctors. One OxyContin tablet in the morning and one before bed would provide “smooth and sustained pain control all day and all night.”

1996

OxyContin Press Release

When Purdue unveiled OxyContin in 1996, it touted 12-hour duration.

On the strength of that promise, OxyContin became America’s bestselling painkiller, and Purdue reaped $31 billion in revenue.

But OxyContin’s stunning success masked a fundamental problem: The drug wears off hours early in many people, a Los Angeles Times investigation found. OxyContin is a chemical cousin of heroin, and when it doesn’t last, patients can experience excruciating symptoms of withdrawal, including an intense craving for the drug.

The problem offers new insight into why so many people have become addicted to OxyContin, one of the most abused pharmaceuticals in U.S. history.

The Times investigation, based on thousands of pages of confidential Purdue documents and other records, found that:

  • Purdue has known about the […]
Read the Full Article