OxyContin Maker Gets Patent for Treatment of Opioid Dependence



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Purdue Pharma has long been criticized for aggressively marketing OxyContin, an opioid analgesic, which, according to many, has led to the current epidemic of opioid dependence. And now, it seems that the company is also looking to take advantage of the treatments. Richard Sackler, whose family owns and operates the private company Purdue Pharma, has been granted a patent for opioid dependence treatment.

The patent was issued for a new form of buprenorphine, a light opiate that controls cravings and is proposed as a temporary substitute for heroin or opioid addicts, according to the Financial Times. Buprenorphine is manufactured as a pill or dissolving tape and is often better known as Suboxone brand, which is distributed by the British pharmaceutical giant Indivior. In 2017, Suboxone brought Indivior $ 877 million in sales to the United States.

This is not the first time that Purdue Pharma has been trying to capture market share in the treatment of opioid addiction. In 2017, Purdue sponsored an application study to see if monitoring pain and addiction with an iPhone could lead to better understanding and better treatment by physicians.

In February, Purdue Pharma announced it would stop promoting OxyContin to doctors. But the firm remains besieged on several fronts, with many states filing lawsuits against the Massachusetts-based company.

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