opioids

The money will not go to victims who became addicted to opioids, but to communities nationwide that were affected by the opioid crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans over the years. Walmart will pay a $3.1 billion settlement.

Opioids have killed more than 450,000 people over the past two decades. Last week, as part of a sweeping settlement with the DOJ, Purdue Pharma, controlled by the Sackler family, pleaded guilty to three criminal charges.

The software company claimed to provide unbiased medical information, but it allowed input from the drug manufacturer that influenced doctors to over-prescribe opioids medication.

A $260-million settlement has been reached between 2 counties in Ohio and Israeli drug manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceutical, plus three drug distributors. As usual, the money will go to the county governments, not to the drug victims.

Indivior was accused of deceiving doctors into believing its product, Suboxone Film, itself a form of opioid, was safer and less susceptible to abuse than similar opioid drugs, and the company allegedly directed opioid-addicted patients to doctors who prescribed Suboxone at high rates.

Life expectancy in the United States has dropped 2 years in a row. Yikes.

The opioid epidemic has been a topic of conversation for a years now. With doctors and pharmacies being instructed to be more careful with their prescribing of the medication, and some states even asking them to look up a patient’s drug history before dispensing the drugs, it comes as no surprise that abuse and overdose are two huge issues. However, research suggests that many patients, especially those on long-term opioids, are dying not only because of overdoses, but simply because they are using them for far too long.

President Trump says the crackdown could be “a game changer” for the United States where tens of thousands of people die from opioid overdoses annually. Pardon our skepticism but the exact words of Chinese officials give the impression they will increase regulations but will not ban the drugs.

The first major trial of whether pharmaceutical companies bear responsibility for the opioid crisis is slated to start in Oklahoma on May 28.  Three major drug manufacturers and 10 of their subsidiaries tried to convince Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman to delay the jury trial for 100 days, but Balkman ruled that it will move forward as scheduled. [1]
Following a nearly 2-hour hearing in his Norman, Oklahoma, courtroom, Balkman said:

When deaths from overdosing on OxyContin could no longer to be ignored, Sackler devised a corporate strategy to blame the victims for misusing their unethical products. Doctors were told that signs of addiction were 'pseudoaddiction' and should be treated by prescribing more of the drug.