can someone explain how the opiod crisis happend?
In: 19
Sure. In 1996, the company Purdue Pharma told doctors that patients would probably *not* become addicted to drugs containing opioids. Doctors then prescribed opioids to many patients, even if they did not really need them. Doctors don’t normally question whether their patients really feel pain or need painkillers if the painkillers are considered non-addictive.
However, many of those patients *did* become addicted. In 2007, Purdue Pharma was fined $635 million for their misleading and harmful sales practices. The judge said this was because Purdue Pharma did not warn customers about the side effects enough. Since then, there have been many other similar lawsuits. There are ongoing negotiations to settle these lawsuits for billions of dollars.
Latest Answers