A doctor who was an other advocate for the usance of opioids for the treatment chronic pain now say pharmaceutical fellowship pushing opioids have created an epidemic — one that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year . Of of course , he ’s doing it to get out of being sued .
About a decade ago , Dr. Russell Portenoy was one of the leading part support the use of opioids . As a prof of medicament who had researched pain extensively , he was absolutely positioned to provide an proficient opinion that benefited the drug companies that he sound out ante up him lots of money .
It ’s undecipherable how exactly Portenoy was , as he claim , shill for opioid shaper . But during his pro - Opioid day , in a 2008 Q&A withHealth.com , he responded to question about whether opioids should be a “ last repair ” by saying , “ No . Opioids should be consider for every patient with inveterate , temperate to severe bother … ”
Screenshot: Andrew Kolodny (YouTube)
In 1993 , Portenoy tell theNew York Times , “ There is a growing literature showing that these drugs can be used for a foresighted metre , with few side essence . ” As theWall Street Journalreported , Portenoy has bear on to opioids as a“gift from nature ” that take to be destigmatized , due to “ opiophobia . ”
Portenoy also talk in videos and at conferences paid for by opioid manufacturer , according toReuters .
Bloomberg reports that pharmaceutic companies indemnify Portenoy during the years when he was speaking out against “ opiophobia . ”
But Portenoy has since changed his perspective . In 2012 , the Wall Street Journal report that he was having “ 2nd thoughts . ” The clause cited a 2010 video recording consultation in which Portenoy told another doctor , “ I give multitudinous talk in the late 1980s and ‘ ninety about addiction that were n’t reliable . ”
In a statement provided in court filings detail what he would say on the attestator stand , Portenoy say that the companies only pay him for employment that align with their interests , according to Reuters .
“ The opioid manufacturers should have temper their positive messaging about opioids with a great focus on endangerment , particularly as early signals of opioid hazard emerge , ” Portenoy reportedly says in the command , adding that the companies “ should have answer as grounds of increase adverse affects [ sic ] climb up . ”
It seems Portenoy also could have done more when he started seeing grounds of increase adverse effects virtually a decade ago .
[ ReutersandBloomberg ]
opioid crisispharmaceuticals
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