They're not the ones who are liable for the consequences of the opioid epidemic. Once the FDA approves a drug, unless someone can prove that the researchers kno

They're not the ones who are liable for the consequences of the opioid epidemic. Once the FDA approves a drug, unless someone can prove that the researchers knowingly misled investigators, it is nearly impossible to sue the pharma companies. The doctors who prescribe the medication (using guidelines provided by the pharma company) become their human liability shields. They couldn't care less about bad PR because their patents are a massive barrier to entry and they're pretty much the only ones hiring highly educated biologists outside of academia and medicine.