Purdue Pharma

Purdue Pharma is a pharmaceutical company that created the drug called OxyContin, which is widely credited for having launched the opioid epidemic that has come to affect several Canadian regardless of socioeconomic status. Canada being the world’s second-largest per capita per consumer of opioids behind the United States which is rooted in over-prescribing. The rise of OxyContin was initially thought to be a beneficial one because it was advertised as a pain reliever was produced with a slow-release formula which brought long-lasting relief but had no effects of dependency. However, Purdue Pharma neglected to disclose the full effects and lack of knowledge to support the claims which resulted in many individuals dependent and suffering since it was prescribed to a variety of non-serious ailments such as back pains which is a “common
These patients then needed higher doses of the drug and would resort to illegal sources to feed the addiction. As lawsuits raised, Purdue’s response purely demined the issue as an issue what was brought about from illegal means. But, Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of health and human Services, argued “Purdue's illegal sales and marketing practices concealed information from patients and many health-care providers regarding the potency and abuse potential of OxyContin for corporate profit”. The pharmaceutical industry had a huge role in the opioid crisis. In the case of Purdue pharma, advertisement method used and the use of misleading information of the products safety and effectiveness has lead to many individuals from different walks of life to die or extremely dependent of the drug. It should be the roll of the pharmaceutical industry to provide educational tools and introduce a tracking system that monitors the amount of opioids are prescribed to prevent this crisis for growing or