jueves, 9 de enero de 2020

How Purdue downplayed Oxy's risks

The Readout
Damian Garde

How Purdue downplayed Oxy's risks

In 2007, when Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty in federal court to misbranding OxyContin, Purdue admitted that sales representatives had misleadingly told prescribers that the painkiller "potentially creates less chance for addiction" and that it "had less abuse potential [and] was less likely to be diverted" than other opioids. Now, STAT has obtained memos written by Purdue sales reps about their conversations with prescribers that provide a glimpse into that behavior.

Some prescribers raised concerns about the misuse of OxyContin in the early years of its launch, but the sales reps were ready to respond. "Oxy is long-acting, has fewer peaks than other oxycodone combos, less addictive value," one sales rep wrote in a 1997 memo. "Pushed hard on no buzz, less abuse," read another memo from the following day.

The memos, as well as Purdue's launch plan for OxyContin, were recently made public following a yearslong legal battle launched by STAT to release records that were gathered in a lawsuit from the state of Kentucky against Purdue.

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