Drug maker Purdue Pharma, along with three of its executives, have been ordered to pay $634.5 million in fines for misleading the public about the addictive risks of its painkiller OxyContin.
Oxycontin, trade name for Oxycodone, is a long-lasting painkiller designed to work for 12 hours when it’s swallowed whole. However, if the pill is crushed, it produces heroin-like highs when it is swallowed, snorted or injected.
Purdue’s top lawyer, former president, and former chief medical officer are responsible for paying $34.5 million of the fine for spreading news that Oxycontin is less addictive and less subject to abuse than other painkillers.
The number of deaths related to Oxycontin increased fivefold from 1996 to 2001; prescriptions for the drug increased 20-fold during the same period. Meanwhile, the drug caused 146 deaths and contributed to another 318 in 2002 alone.
Victims’ families are calling for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow Oxycontin to be prescribed only for severe pain, instead of moderate pain as it’s currently used.
The fines paid by Purdue will go to state and federal law enforcement agencies, the federal government, federal and state Medicaid programs, a prescription-monitoring program in Virginia, and the people who sued the pharmaceutical company.
USA Today July 21, 2007
Washington Post July 21, 2007
Dr. Mercola’s Comment:It’s positive news that Purdue Pharma is being held accountable for downplaying the highly addictive potential of this popular painkiller, but Oxycontin brought in $1.6 billion in sales in 2003 alone. The annual cost per patient in 2003 was $1,300.
My point? A fine of a little over $600 million is peanuts to a company that rakes in over $1 billion a year for one drug.
This is another clear-cut case of a drug’s dangerous risks being exposed too late, after hundreds of people have already lost their lives.
Please don’t assume that a drug is safe simply because a doctor has prescribed it to you. You must be diligent in looking out for yourself, because the FDA is not going to do it for you.
When it comes to pain relief, it is to your advantage to exhaust all natural painkillers before even considering taking a potentially dangerous drug.
Another natural painkiller, which you may not have considered, is to change the focus of your thoughts, letting your mind take control and bring positive feelings to your body instead of pain. Related Articles