Senator Calls On Feds To Launch Probe Of Purdue Pharma Over OxyContin Allegations
The Los Angeles Times reported that the manufacturer knew the painkiller didn't last for 12-hours for some people, which could lead to addiction. In response, Sen. Edward J. Markey is asking the Department of Justice and the FDA to investigate. In other news, Prince's death puts buprenorphine in the spotlight.
Los Angeles Times:
Senator Calls For Investigation Of Purdue Pharma Following Times Story On OxyContin
A U.S. senator on Friday called for federal investigations of OxyContin’s manufacturer in response to a Los Angeles Times report that found the bestselling painkiller wears off early in many patients, exposing them to increased risk of addiction. Sen. Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat whose state has been hit hard by prescription drug abuse, urged the Justice Department, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission to launch probes of drugmaker Purdue Pharma. (Ryan, 5/27)
Los Angeles Times:
Prince's Death Casts Spotlight On Anti-Opioid Addiction Drug
It was an intervention that never happened, and it featured two stars: Prince, an adored music icon, and buprenorphine, an obscure drug hailed as a revolutionary tool to fight opioid addiction. Prince died before the first scene, when a drug-addiction consultant, a physician and Prince's associates converged on the star's Paisley Park home near Minneapolis, based on official accounts. The plot twist? The consultant, Andrew Kornfeld of the Recovery Without Walls clinic in Mill Valley, Calif., was carrying a small amount of buprenorphine. Nicknamed “bupe,” it is also known by several commercial names including Suboxone. (Mohan, 5/30)