Posted on 09/27/2016 4:28:52 AM PDT by Wolfie
Big pharma is spending millions to fight limits on opioids like OxyContin, Vicodin and fentanyl
The pharmaceutical industry has spent more than $880 million over the past decade to fight laws that would limit the availability of powerful opiods such as OxyContin, Vicodin and fentanyl in the United States, according to an investigation by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity published Sunday.
Often, these lobbying expenditures are funneled through groups like the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and other advocacy groups that represent the interests of patients with terminal cancer or chronic pain, whose conditions can be alleviated by taking opioids.
While opioids are critical for cancer patients and those in terminal pain, opioid abuse, including heroin and prescription drugs has been called the worst drug epidemic in American history. The numbers of overdose deaths have been rising in tandem with the booming sales of the drugs. On an average day in the United States, roughly 129 people die from an opioid-related overdoses, according to White House.
Big pharma spending on political contributions and lobbying has been targeted on limits being placed on prescribing opioids by doctors. To put the numbers into context, AP and the Center of Public Integrity found the pharmaceutical industry had spent eight times more than the gun lobby during that same period, from 2006 to 2015.
Lawmakers interviewed for the story attributed the failure of bills that they had pushed to stem the flow of opioids, to the aggressive lobbyists working on behalf of those pharmaceutical companies.
Some companies have already been forced to acknowledge their role in the current crisis. Purdue Pharma, for example, the maker of OxyContin, pleaded guilty in 2007 to charges that it misrepresented the drug as "abuse resistant" as part of its multimillion dollar marketing campaign. Purdue was forced to pay a hefty $600 million in fines.
Demonization of people who manufacture drugs.
As if the government can do anything constructive here.
The problem would be self limiting if drugs were legal.
Good. Sometimes, a person is in really bad pain (such as gout) and doctors prescribe Motrin. If you ask for a real painkiller, they check the “asking for opiates” box and you’ll never get them. If you don’t ask, they assume that Motrin is good enough.
Yep, big coal, big Ag, big oil, big auto, and every other big and small business are fighting to survive the attacks of a monstrous government that has the power to take any and all of them down. It is in part why so many of them have left the country. As Marx called them ,the evil capitalists.
Yep - and the irony is that it’s the same ObamaCare idiots who told us it’s far better to just treat the pain than waste money on actual treatment who are behind the move to block access. They’re making doctors afraid to do what’s best for the patient.
How many of these deaths are directly attributable to the pharmaceutical? Just because the overdose deaths are rising in tandem means nothing. What is does mean is that there is a rising problem with both the pharmaceutical and illegal opioid usage. It is quite easy to distinguish what percentage the pharmaceutical opioids do play. I didn't read the entire article to see if they actually get into those numbers, however, something tells me that is most likely not the case. If the results show that the illegal opiods are far more likely to cause overdose death, then the pharmaceutical opioids would prove to be the safer route for addicts.
When you start a practice, or relocate, your first 60-90 days are overwhelmed wiith drug addicts trying to scam you for narcotics. Some of them are decent actors.
If you take call for a group, you will get 2-3 calls a night begging for pain medicine, from patients you don’t know and can’t look up easily. Some of THEM are pretty good on the phone.
If you have a specialty practice and don’t do surgery, like me, you can take the stance that you don’t prescribe those drugs. I’ve written 2 or 3 Schedule II drugs in the past ten years.
But if you do general medicine, or if you’re a surgeon, you will get beaten by scammers a lot when you’re young. Their success rate falls with your experience, but it never goes to zero.
It’s already apparent to me that the “war on doctors who prescribe opioids” is having the desired effect. Patients with chronic real pain, patients with cancer, patients with unfixable painful injuries?
They’re collateral damage. But (oh, yeah) they CAN smoke dope with a doctors note. Already, there are “practices” opening up next to marijuana dispensaries (you can’t co-locate) where you can get your doctor’s note for $500.
Legal or not, demand is the problem. Way, way too many people have a spiritual sickness for which drugs are the palliative. Don’t fix that? The problem is unsolvable.
-given this as the source, I don't believe it--
Now in the last year there has been a crack down on RX drugs coming into the area so Black Tar Heroin is on the rise. Just because you shut off the RX drugs does not mean all those folks hooked on Oxy are suddenly cured. We had our first mass murder in the area one County over and it was due to drugs mostly RX drugs but heroin and crystal meth were involved also.
In our little town of 4500 people we have had 6 RX opioid related deaths this year. Overdoses and complications due to daily massive intake of Oxy and Percs etc. And that is the ones that admitted to taking that poison.
On an average day in the United States, roughly 129 people die from an opioid-related overdoses, according to White House.
-given this as the source, I don’t believe it—
___________________
uhmmm...yes....heroin.
The fact that there are severe limitors being placed on legal drugs is a horror show for every pain ridden person.
So if patients can’t get opiate prescriptions legally at the doctors offices, they will get the pills on the street high cost and of dubious quality.
I’m sure there are plenty of Pharma factories in Mexico that manufacture opiates. What’s to stop a Mexican drug cartel from adding oxycodone to their inventory?
Just as in other cases (shoe bomber necessitates we take off our shoes at the airport, smurfers seeking psuedoephedrine for meth manufacture necessitates we show ID to purchase decongestants) the idiots of the world make it difficult for everyone else.
If you are a white male with chronic pain, you are better off going to the liquor store than a MD for relief.
I have been active all my life and my body shows it. Back X-rays look like a bad train wreck. Throw in chronic migraines, and pain free days are but a distant memory.
Ibuprofen will destroy your kidneys over time, and tylenol can and will destroy your liver. Aspirin does not cause organ failure like the others, but loses effectiveness over time. Where are the stats listing organ damage from these “safe” pain relievers? Tylenol kills daily, but their lobby is strong, so it is never mentioned.
Absolutely NOTHING is being done for chronic pain sufferers, and if you mention to a Dr you have chronic pain, you are blacklisted as a prescription drug abuser.
My SIL has the same back problem I have. Funny, her Dr prescribed real pain killers for her 5 years ago, me, “take 2 aspirin and deal with it” is what I get.
Not to mention demonetization of chronically ill patients who have no option but pain meds to even get out of bed and shower, whose only hope is reduction in pain.
They are now treated worse than street junkies. Doses cut back, or eliminated, this also effects our permanently injured Military who have been blow to bits by IED’s.
I think the original study on opioid OD was a piece of biased junk by the people who want MMJ mainstreamed as a pain med when it is NOT. It just gets you high like getting drunk so you forget how high your pain level is. And on Big Pharma’s part to push Lyrica and Neurotin both of which are MORE addictive than NORCO. Even more so than Valium which works much better on pain like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue and fixes the Fibro Fog to boot.
Interstitial Cystitis is chronic, not fixable and very painful, yet these new pain laws don’t make allowances for well documented chronic illnesses that cause level 9 pain. Most just want the level down to LIVABLE.
And you want to talk about the pain meds for end stage cancer only high doses of Morphine is going to work there. And Hospice is well known of ODing patients to get rid of them faster. They did my dad it stopped his heart, it was not the end stage lung cancer found to late that killed him but their ODing him.
Abort, Euthanize, or Get Out of Medicine
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/440365
What about the severe alcoholic that is drinking themselves to death? Not a word about that. My family has first hand experience with it, with our only brother. If his liver doesn’t give out then the Diabetes he’s developed will kill him.
Or the 33 PSTD Military committing suicide because they can’t be adequately treated. All those shrinks have is book knowledge not combat knowledge. And PSTD effects more than just the Military, it effects victims of rape and the Loved Ones of a innocent Murder Victim especially when the victim is a child. You think I’d admit to it if it put my 2nd A Rights at risk? I’ll just talk to other victims and GOD thank you they at least have experience in dealing with that type PSTD a book learned shrink lacks. And I don’t want your stinking sleeping pills or anti-depression drugs. I just need an compassionate ear to hear the hurt and not tell me to ‘get over it in 2 weeks’.
“And Hospice is well known of ODing patients to get rid of them faster.”
Exactly what hospice did to my Dad. People are fooling themselves if they think euthanasia isn’t being practiced in this country.
I have to side with the Dr here, because I have seen the addiction. The doctors are now under a more direct control of the lawyers and politicians. Remember they took over the healthcare profession by the Obama crime family and their allies. Please keep in mind, no one will force you to go see a Dr.
I think the cartel wants the folks to turn to heroin when their pill supply is cut/restricted. Pills are more expensive than heroin on the street, but you know what you are getting. Someone told me one standard oxy tablet was worth 50-80 bucks on the street. I guess the cartels have started using labs more, making fentanyl to lace into their heroin. This makes the heroin more addictive and powerful. Overdoses on this fentanyl heroin I guess are pretty common if you aren’t used to it, and when you get hooked the regular heroin then isn’t enough.
FReegards
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