OxyContin Maker Will No Longer Market Opioids To Doctors

Purdue Pharma made a significant announcement in the war on opioid painkillers over the weekend. The company, which has made billions of dollars selling drugs like OxyContin, has said it would stop marketing opioids to doctors according to NBC News.

We have restructured and significantly reduced our commercial operation and will no longer be promoting opioids to prescribers.

The company laid off half of its sale staff and said it would no longer send sales representatives to discuss opioids with doctors. 

While many praised Purdue's efforts, it may not be enough according to Dr. Andrew Kolodny. He explained that other companies need to follow Purdue's lead in order to solve the opioid crisis. 

Overall, the impact will be small because the genie is out of the bottle," he said of the opioid manufacturer's decision. "But if other opioid manufacturers would do the same, it would have a bigger effect."

Purdue Pharma has been facing multiple lawsuits across the country over the company's role in the growing epidemic. In the past year alone, the company has been named in lawsuits filed by Ohio, Alabama and Washington attorneys general. 

42,000 people deathers were linked to opioid painkillers in 2016, and over seven million Americans are estimated to have abused OxyContin since it became available in 1996 according to Fox News.

As a result of rising costs and doctors becoming more aware of the negative side effects of the painkillers, it became harder for people who were addicted to get a prescription. This caused many people to find substitute drugs such as heroin on the black market. 

Drugs on the black market are not always pure and can result in unintentional overdose. In the past few years, authorities have been alarmed to find fentanyl hitting the streets and showing up in heroin. The extremely powerful opioid is lethal in small doses, and can easily kill a person who may have had no idea it was added to their drugs. 


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