-
FILE – This photo taken on May 8, 2007 shows Purdue Pharma's offices in Stamford, Connecticut On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the company, whose prescription opioid marketing practices are accused of triggering an overdose crisis and addiction, to fund an effort to create an antidote for overdoses at a lower cost. Less
FILE – This archival photo from May 8, 2007 shows Purdue Pharma's offices in Stamford, Connecticut On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the company, whose marketing practices for prescription opioids are accused of having … more
Photo: Douglas Healey, AP
-
The epidemic of opioids has hit almost every corner of the United States. Here's what the Centers for Disease Control say about the crisis:
CDC: "The majority of overdose deaths (66%) involve an opioid In 2016, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) was 5 times higher than in 1999. From 2000 to 2016, more than 600,000 people died of drug overdoses. On average, 115 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. "
Less
The epidemic of opioids has hit almost every corner of the United States. Here's what the Centers for Disease Control say about the crisis:
CDC: "The majority of drug overdose deaths (66%) involve an opioid.
… more
Photo: Hailshadow / Getty Images / iStockphoto
-
CDC: "The amount of prescription opioids sold in pharmacies, hospitals and doctors' offices has almost quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. Deaths from prescription opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone, have more than quadrupled since 1999 ".
Less
CDC: "The amount of prescription opioids sold to pharmacies, hospitals and physician offices has almost quadrupled from 1999 to 2010. Opioid deaths due to prescription – drugs like oxycodone , hydrocodone and
… more
Photo: Darwin Brandis / Getty Images / iStockphoto
-
CDC: "Up to one in four people who receive long-term prescription opioids to relieve non-cancer pain in primary care settings are experiencing addiction issues."
CDC: "Up to one in four people who receive long-term prescription opioids to relieve non-cancer pain in primary care settings are experiencing addiction issues."
Photo: GIPhotoStock / Getty Images / RF Cultura
-
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push ({
fashion: 'miniatures -c',
container: & # 39; taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5 & # 39;
placement: "Interstitial Gallery 5 Thumbnails",
target_type: mix & # 39;
})
_taboola.push ({flush: true});
-
CDC: "Providers wrote nearly a quarter of a billion opioid prescriptions in 2013 – with wide variations from one state to the next.This is enough for every American adult to have his own bottle of pills. "
CDC: "Providers wrote nearly a quarter of a billion opioid prescriptions in 2013 – with wide variations from one state to the next.This is enough for every American adult to have his own bottle of pills. "
Photo: Francisblack / Getty Images
-
CDC: "Health care providers in the highest state, Alabama, prescribed three times more prescriptions per person than those in the lowest state of Hawaii. Studies suggest that regional variations in the consumption status of the population. "
Less
CDC: "Health care providers in Alabama, the highest state, have prescribed three times more prescriptions per capita than those in the poorest state in Hawaii.
… more
Photo: Kizilkayaphotos / Getty Images / iStockphoto
-
CDC: "The medications most commonly involved in opioid overdose prescription deaths include: methadone, oxycodone (such as OxyContin®), hydrocodone (such as Vicodin®)"
CDC: "The medications most commonly involved in opioid overdose prescription deaths include: methadone, oxycodone (such as OxyContin®), hydrocodone (such as Vicodin®)"
Photo: Pureradiancephoto / Getty Images
-
CDC:
Among people who died of a prescription opioid overdose between 1999 and 2014: overdose rates were highest among 25 to 54 years, overdose rates were higher among non-Hispanic whites and among American Indians or Alaska Natives. Men were more likely to die from an overdose, but the mortality gap between men and women is narrowing. "
Less
CDC:
Among those who died from an overdose of prescription opioids between 1999 and 2014: the rates of overdose were highest among people aged 25 to 54, the overdose rates were higher in non-Hispanic whites and
… more
Photo: Nico De Pasquale Photography / Getty Images
-
window._taboola = window._taboola || [];
_taboola.push ({
fashion: 'miniatures -c',
container: & # 39; taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-10 & # 39;
placement: & # 39; Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 10 & # 39;
target_type: mix & # 39;
})
_taboola.push ({flush: true});
Photo: Douglas Healey, AP
FILE – This photo taken on May 8, 2007 shows Purdue Pharma's offices in Stamford, Connecticut On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the company, whose prescription opioid marketing practices are accused of triggering an overdose crisis and addiction, to fund an effort to create an antidote for overdoses at a lower cost. Less
FILE – This archival photo from May 8, 2007 shows Purdue Pharma's offices in Stamford, Connecticut On Wednesday, September 5, 2018, the company, whose marketing practices for prescription opioids are accused of having … more
Photo: Douglas Healey, AP
A major opioid manufacturer must pay for the development of an antidote against overdoses
A company whose prescription opioid marketing practices are accused of triggering the drug and overdose crisis said it was helping to fund an antidote for overdoses at a lower cost.
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, announced Wednesday it is providing a $ 3.4 million grant to Harm Reduction Therapeutics, a non-profit organization based in Pittsburgh, to help develop a nasal-based nasal spray. naloxone at low cost.
The announcement comes as local authorities accuse Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, and other pharmaceutical companies of using deceptive marketing practices to encourage mass prescription of powerful and addictive painkillers. Last week, the number of lawsuits against the industry, overseen by a federal judge, exceeded the number of 1,000.
Judge Dan Polster, based in Cleveland, is pushing the industry to agree with plaintiffs – mostly local governments and Native American tribes – and state governments, most of whom have filed lawsuits courts or conduct a joint investigation. Hundreds of other local governments also sue in state courts across the country.
The parties have had regular settlement discussions, but it is unclear when an agreement could be reached in the case, which is complicated by the number of parties and questions about how to attribute the mistakes.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that overdoses of drugs killed a record 72,000 Americans last year, about 10% more than in 2016. The majority of deaths were in opioids. But a growing number of them come from illicit synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, rather than prescription opioids such as OxyContin or Vicodin.
Governments are calling for changes in the marketing of opioids and help to pay for the treatment and costs of ambulances, child protection systems, prisons and other expenses associated with the opioid crisis.
Polster is expected to rule in the coming weeks on motions from drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies to reject claims. Trials in some cases – used to test problems common to many of them – are expected to begin in September 2019.
Purdue agreed to pay $ 634 million in fines in 2007 to settle charges that the company was minimizing the risk of addiction and abuse of its painkiller OxyContin since the 1990s.
He faces similar charges again.
Earlier this year, the private company stopped marketing OxyContin to doctors.
The naloxone grant is one way the company can show that it is trying to help stem the damage done by opioids. "This grant is an example of the significant steps Purdue has taken to help combat opioid abuse in our communities," said Craig Landau, President and CEO of Purdue, in a statement.
Naloxone is considered a major component of overdose prevention strategies. In recent years, most states have facilitated access to the antidote for laypeople. First responders, drug users, and others began to wear naloxone to reverse overdoses. But the price of drugs has been a problem for state and local governments.
Harm Reduction Therapeutics, based in Pittsburgh, says it's trying to put its release on the market in two years.
"Fighting the current crisis of opioid dependence will require innovative approaches to prevention and drug-assisted treatment," said Michael Hufford, co-founder and CEO of Harm Reduction. . "
___
Follow Mulvihill to http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill