OxyCon’ed Again; and, ‘The Truth About OxyContin…’
OxyCon’ed One More Time; and, ‘The Truth…’; Alex DeLuca, M.D., MPH; War on Doctors / Pain Crisis; 2007-05-11.
Here we go again. [very deep sigh]
”With its OxyContin, Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive, and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public,” Brownlee said. ”For these misrepresentations and crimes, Purdue and its executives have been brought to justice.” - Associated Press; 2007-05-11.
Please.
Time to return, like a salmon to a polluted steam, to my origins in the Pain Relief advocacy movement. It saddens me to have to dust this one off, again.
The Truth About OxyContin; From a Medical Point of View; Alex DeLuca; 2001.
1) it is just another long acting opioid.
2) long acting opioids are good for a lot of reasons including that they are less abuse-able if used properly.
3) if you lock yourself in a refrigerator, you will suffocate. This is an example of the improper use of a technology.
4) there is no significant difference between MS-contin, Kadian, OxyContin and methadone as far as the brain is concerned.
5) if you spill hot mcdonalds coffee on your hand under the sign that says, “watch out, hot coffee,” you will get burned. This is an example of the improper use of a technology.
6) we need short, quick-acting opiates, and slow, long-acting opiates. One size does not fit all. We have both endoscopic surgery for gallbladder disease, and open laparotomy for gallbladder disease. We need both.
7) if you park on a hill, leave the car in neutral, and fail to engage the parking brake, the car will run randomly down the hill and perhaps run a small child over. This is an example of the misuse of a technology.
8) it does not make any medical sense to punish the millions of pain patients to prevent what is, really, a comparatively trivial problem of prescription drug diversion. This is a media, police feeding frenzy. It is senseless. They will regret that they behaved this way.
9) all God’s children hurt or will hurt; nobody gets out alive.
10) they will regret they behaved this way.
11) it is possible to get 95% of all people with chronic pain down to pain levels of 0-3 using all the technologies we have, one of which is opioid medications. We should not rest until this is accomplished.
12) if you stick a small metal object into an electrical wall outlet, you will get a shock. This is an example of the misuse of a technology.
13) you cannot treat chronic pain in cancer patients without treating chronic non-cancer pain. This is a medical truth.
14) drug addiction can be treated. It is a minor problem, from a public health point of view, compared to chronic, untreated or under-treated, pain in this society.
15) you or your brother or your parents or your children or your nieces or nephews will get seriously injured, or develop a chronic painful illness, or will get cancer.
16) all God’s children hurt, or will hurt.
17) making sick people jump through hoops is damaging to the souls of those who hold up the hoops.
18) opiate medications are our friends. We need them.
19) they will regret they behaved this way.
20) we all need to show up and get back to work now.
(Written and originally posted August 8th, 2001)
See also:
Self-Absorbed Prosecutor [Brownlee] Goes Too Far; Donna Knox; Editorial Commentary, The Roanoke Times; 2006-01-26.
Dr. Cecil Knox and Beverly Boone, Racketeers? - War on Pain Sufferers collection #5.
U.S. Attorney, Heal Thyself - Alex DeLuca, 2006. LTE response to: First Do No Harm - Brownlee (U.S. attorney), Roanoke Times, 2006-01-30.
Dr. Feelscared; Maia Szalavitz; Reason; 2004.
The Media’s Not Telling the Whole Oxycontin Story; Maia Szalavitz; Huffington Post; 2007-05-11.
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Tags: author=deluca, Chilling effect, opiophobia, persecuted physicians, Prosecution, public health, statistics, Uncategorized
Comment by
Bill
Where is the FDA in all of this? This seems to me like a misappropriation of federal resources, again! This would be akin to the DOJ indicting NBC, CBS, MSNBC, Clear Channel, etc. for broadcasting or “offensive material” or “misrrepresentations” related to the Imus or Howard Stern situations. Drug companies have to get all their branding and advertising material approved by the FDA. They are not allowed to go about making false claims. This seems to be a civil FDA matter at best. Why does DOJ/DEA continue to override the FDA, CMS, state medical boards, etc.?
By the way, does anyone have an update on the DEA’s immediate suspension of Amerisource Bergen’s Orlando distribution center?
Comment by
doctordeluca
Hi Bill (my most faithful commenter),
Good questions all, and all worthy of discussion.
Specifically re: Amerisource - which I was not aware of so thanks again - I just found this:
======= http://news.morningstar.com/news/ViewNews.asp?article=/BW/20070424006642_univ.xml&pgid=qtqnPress4
AmerisourceBergen Receives DEA Order to Temporarily Halt Distribution of Controlled Substances from Its Orlando, Florida Facility
AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE:ABC) today announced that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has temporarily suspended the Orlando, Florida Distribution Center’s (DC), license to distribute DEA controlled substances and listed chemicals. The temporary suspension affects only the Orlando DC and only DEA controlled items. The action may impact approximately 1,400 pharmacy customers in Florida. In the event this temporary suspension is not quickly resolved, alternative arrangements will be made for customers served by the Orlando Distribution Center, so they will not be inconvenienced.
The DEA asserts that AmerisourceBergen did not maintain effective controls against diversion of controlled substances, specifically hydrocodone, to four internet pharmacies from January 1, 2006 through January 31, 2007.
Historically, AmerisourceBergen has proactively cooperated with the DEA in preventing diversion of hydrocodone and other controlled substances, and will fully cooperate with the agency in resolving the temporary suspension.
The Company has a diversion program and a DEA-approved suspicious-order monitoring program in place to identify customers who are suspected of inappropriately selling products sold to them by AmerisourceBergen. All of the Orlando Distribution Center’s DEA audits, the most recent within the last year, were passed with no deficiencies found. AmerisourceBergen is not doing business with any of the four customers cited by the DEA, and all of the pharmacies mentioned by the agency held active DEA licenses to sell controlled substances at the time AmerisourceBergen sold product to them.
About AmerisourceBergen
AmerisourceBergen (NYSE:ABC) is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical services companies serving the United States, Canada and selected global markets. Servicing both pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers in the pharmaceutical supply channel, the Company provides drug distribution and related services designed to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes. AmerisourceBergen’s service solutions range from pharmacy automation and pharmaceutical packaging to pharmacy services for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, reimbursement and pharmaceutical consulting services, and physician education. With more than $64 billion in annual revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs more than 13,000 people. AmerisourceBergen is ranked #29 on the Fortune 500 list. For more information, go to http://www.amerisourcebergen.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
AmerisourceBergen Corporation Michael N. Kilpatric, 610-727-7118 mkilpatric@amerisourcebergen.com
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..alex…
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