Pfizer admits Big Pharma is profiting from addiction; its products support opioid epidemic
by: Vicki Batts
NaturalNews.com
Friday, September 09, 2016
Well, it only took two decades for Pfizer to admit that opioids are indeed addictive, even when they are used as prescribed. There is also no evidence that opioids are effective for long-term treatment of chronic pain, in spite of the clever and misleading marketing campaigns led by manufacturers.
Opioids cause up to 60 deaths per day in the United States. This shocking figure is part of what finally led to Pfizer’s concessions about their product’s lack of safety. The corporation has recently agreed to disclose that opioids “carry serious risk of addiction—even when used properly,” according to the Washington Post. The company has also agreed not to promote opioid use for off-label purposes that aren’t approved, such as for long-term back pain. Pfizer will also acknowledge that there is no good research on the effectiveness of opioids beyond 12 weeks of use.
Pfizer makes and markets only one opioid product, which is an extended-release product known as Embeda. When it comes to the opioid epidemic, Embeda has not played nearly as large a role as Purdue’s infamous OxyContin. Following a lawsuit by the city of Chicago against Purdue and several other Big Pharma corporations, Pfizer has chosen to willingly draft an opioid marketing policy. They weren’t named in the lawsuit, and there’s no admission of wrongdoing, so it’s very clear that the company is merely trying to “cover all the bases” if you will, and protect themselves from being sued too.
The Rest…HERE
