3 ms·

Some details from posted article: Until August 2010, Oxycontin could be transformed into a drug with a quick intense high by grinding it into a powder. Grindin

Some details from posted article: Until August 2010, Oxycontin could be transformed into a drug with a quick intense high by grinding it into a powder. Grinding disables its time-release technology. Florida regulations supported the creation of clinics providing easier access to Oxycontin to Floridians and others near I-75. In 8/2010, material were added so that grinding no longer was effective. Recreational users switched to heroin, more so in markets with more heroin availability. In 2013, suppliers began mixing fentanyl into heroin, creating a drug with an even more intense high. The switch to heroin from Oxycontin appears to have prevented any reduction in heroin/opioid overdose mortality rates. The introduction of fentanyl appears to have increased opioid mortality rates 4 or 5 times.

nerdponx 9y ago
Unintended consequences. And it was actually the drug company trying to do the right thing, for once.
- r00fus 9y ago
  Pretty sure the original (unreasonable) availability of Oxycontin which caused the problems.
  - wyldfire 9y ago
    The original problem was that Purdue Pharma misrepresented it as having less risk of addiction.
    - jandrese 9y ago
      I've wondered about that claim. Was there an asterisk next to that claim that said (*compared to Black Tar Heroin)? Given how crazy addictive it turned out to be shouldn't Purdue be held accountable for false advertising and public endangerment?
  - bootlooped 9y ago
    There was also an issue of them marketing it as a twice a day drug, which would create big swings for users that fostered addiction. http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/
- Obi_Juan_Kenobi 9y ago
  Pharma is far from blameless here. Pharmaceutical companies promoted deregulation to permit advertising directly to doctors and creating quid-pro-quo situations. Pharmaceutical companies campaigned heavily for 'pain management' strategies that used 'safe' opioids. Pharmaceutical companies withhold negative trial results, generating false science. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jep.12147 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jep.12147 These 'safe' slow-release formulations allowed Pharma to generate new IP and new revenue sources. It was never about healthcare or patient comfort, it was about money. And those addicted to opioids are paying the price.

nerdponx 9y ago

Unintended consequences. And it was actually the drug company trying to do the right thing, for once.

r00fus 9y ago
Pretty sure the original (unreasonable) availability of Oxycontin which caused the problems.
- wyldfire 9y ago
  The original problem was that Purdue Pharma misrepresented it as having less risk of addiction.
  - jandrese 9y ago
    I've wondered about that claim. Was there an asterisk next to that claim that said (*compared to Black Tar Heroin)? Given how crazy addictive it turned out to be shouldn't Purdue be held accountable for false advertising and public endangerment?
- bootlooped 9y ago
  There was also an issue of them marketing it as a twice a day drug, which would create big swings for users that fostered addiction. http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/ http://www.latimes.com/projects/oxycontin-part1/
Obi_Juan_Kenobi 9y ago
Pharma is far from blameless here. Pharmaceutical companies promoted deregulation to permit advertising directly to doctors and creating quid-pro-quo situations. Pharmaceutical companies campaigned heavily for 'pain management' strategies that used 'safe' opioids. Pharmaceutical companies withhold negative trial results, generating false science. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jep.12147 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jep.12147 These 'safe' slow-release formulations allowed Pharma to generate new IP and new revenue sources. It was never about healthcare or patient comfort, it was about money. And those addicted to opioids are paying the price.