Purdue minimizes opioid risk

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali used the rope-a-dope during his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match against George Foreman to bring his opponent to his knees. But we’re pretty sure he never imagined that 44 years later, pharmaceutical companies would be using a take-a-dope technique to wear down the elderly and bring them to their knees — all for a profit. (OxyContin has made over $31 billion in sales.)

That’s just what a suit by the state of Oregon against Purdue Pharma claims. Using the Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities Abuse Prevention Act, the Oregon Department of Justice says that Purdue (the makers of OxyContin) targeted the elderly.

In 2015, for every 100,000 seniors in Oregon, nearly 700 people 65 and older were sent to the hospital because of opioids. And, says the suit, the company focused on long-term-care facilities and urged doctors to prescribe opioids at higher dosages than were safe for people over 65.

The lawsuit also states: Purdue minimized the risks of abuse and addiction of its opioids. It also alleges Purdue falsely claimed that OxyContin posed a lower threat of abuse and addiction than other painkillers and increased function for patients with chronic pain.

That’s tough stuff, but they’re not the only folks saying it. From Colorado to Tennessee, states across the country are filing suits against the company. And as far back as 2007, the company and three executives pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal charges that they misled regulators, doctors and patients about OxyContin’s addictive powers and agreed to pay to more than $600 million in fines and other payments.

Guess that’s why the United States has 4.6 percent of the world’s population, but consumes 80 percent of the world’s opioids!