Question

Big Problems for Big Pharma - The United States is facing an opioid epidemic. In 2015 alone, 33,000 people within the United States died from an opioid related death. Opioids are narcotics that produce a morphine-like effect. They work by binding to opioid receptors within the body and reducing the body’s ability to send pain messages to the brain. Common opioids include hydrocodone, morphine, fentanyl, and oxycodone. Over half of the opioid-related deaths are linked to prescription opioid use, while the remaining are credited to street drugs. According to a study published in Medical Care, the prescription opioid epidemic has introduced a “total economic burden of $78.5 billion.” In early June of 2017, nine counties in Tennessee sued Big Pharma (specifically Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt and Endo Pharmaceuticals) for costs of fighting the epidemic. The suit declares that Big Pharma should be labeled as drug dealers, and accuses pharmaceutical companies of misleading consumers as to the addictive properties of the drugs and marketing the drugs as the miracle cure for all types of pain. Two weeks later, the Missouri Attorney General filed a similar suit against three large pharmaceutical companies, Janssen, Purdue, and Endo Pharmaceuticals, claiming they are pushing a “campaign of fraud and deception.” The Attorney General is asking for “hundreds of millions of dollars” in both damages and civil penalties. The pharmaceutical companies replied to the suits stating they share concerns regarding the opioid crisis and they have “acted appropriately, responsibly, and in the best interest of patients regarding our opioid pain medications.” These lawsuits are unique as up to this point legal initiatives have primarily put responsibility for the epidemic on physicians, prescribers, and pharmacies, not pharmaceutical companies. Some claim physicians are the first line of defense and are over-prescribing opioids for pain which may be effectively managed with other non-addictive medications such as Ibuprofen. On the flip side, opioids may be the best choices for some patients, especially those having surgical procedures. According to data collected in 2009 at Stanford University, 48 million people underwent inpatient surgery in the United States alone. It is likely that all of those persons were not only prescribed, but truly needed opioids to manage postoperative pain.

Who do you think is responsible and to what degree? Do you think opioids should be limited even to those that need them such as a former military member that is in pain from wounds received during combat?

Answer 1

The people who are addicted to it are responsible for this basically but it is the government's initiation to make sure that the supply is strictly under vigilance ,to be missed only to the prescription orders , exactly providing the right quantity of medication, creating awareness to public in regards to its adverse effects. This has been a public epidemic now and one or other in the family is exposed to the drug atkeasy once in their lifetime.

No,opioids cannot be limited to a person who really needs it alleviate their pain.Doing so can greatly impact the quality of life and the progress from pain.So the military veterans has to be provided this medication strictly under medical supervision ,guidance and regular follow up to prevent opioid epidemic in United States.