Pharma is far from blameless here. Pharmaceutical companies promoted deregulation to permit advertising directly to doctors and creating quid-pro-quo situation

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.