Inside STAT: Purdue touts data to fight lawsuits that downplay role in opioid crisis

PURDUE PHARMA HEADQUARTERS IN STAMFORD, CONN. (DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES)

As Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, tries to shake off allegations that it fueled the ongoing opioid epidemic in the U.S., one sticking point is exactly how much of the opioid pill market the company is responsible for. One figure that Purdue keeps using is 3.3% — pulled from a DEA database, this is the percentage of prescription opioid pain pills that the company sold between 2006 and 2012. But experts and a new data analysis from ProPublica tell a different story: The number of pills sold is an inadequate measure of market share because it doesn’t take into account the potency and dosage of the pills. When these are taken into account, Purdue’s share climbs to 16%, making it the third-largest opioid seller in the U.S. between 2006 and 2012. Read more from STAT’s collaboration with ProPublica.