Oxycontin: America ’s next new export

The health care system has been devastated by the opioid epidemic. Addictive opiate medications have not been shown to benefit patients with chronic pain, yet they are the most prescribed pills in the United States. As a pain management physician, I have seen opiates, when in the wrong hands, destroy lives. As doctors and health care organizations scramble to treat more than 2 million Americans suffering from opioid addiction, drug companies look to expand their brand. Recently, Mundipharma, a global network of pharmaceutical corporations, began a worldwide marketing campaign for Oxycontin, the drug at the heart of America’s opioid crisis. If they are allowed to succeed, America’s opioid epidemic may quickly become our main export. Opiates have a muddied history in American health care. For years, these drugs, such as morphine, were only used for acute and end-of-life pain but otherwise avoided due to powerfully addictive tendencies. People suffered from chronic pain but had no options. Thus, there has always been a need for a “non-addictive” pain medication. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Meds Medications Source Type: blogs