While most Americans associate the opioid epidemic and nationwide opioid litigation with Purdue Pharma, the biggest maker of prescription painkillers was actually a company called Mallinckrodt, and its role in the epidemic is now being fully exposed. A cache of 1.4 million documents related to the company’s role has been made public after years of litigation and bankruptcy proceedings, revealing how Mallinckrodt sought to increase its market share through aggressive sales tactics as the epidemic and overdose deaths were raging across the country. Between 2006 and 2014 the company accounted for 27 percent of the opioid market, compared to 18 percent for Purdue. In Massachusetts, for example, Mallinckrodt’s pain pills were supplied to more than half of those who died of opioid-related overdoses during the past 12 years—nearly 10,000 individuals. The company also paid a key role in industry-wide efforts to convince the healthcare industry that addiction was rare among opioid users, although its opioid products were highly addictive, and marketed its drugs to specific segments of society.
Meanwhile, a judge in Ohio is set to rule on how much the nation’s three largest pharmacy chains—CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart should pay in damages as part of opioid litigation. All three pharmacy chains were found guilty by a jury for recklessly distributing massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties—the first time such companies have been held responsible, along with opioid makers and drug distributors. Plaintiff’s attorneys say that each county needs about $1 billion to repair the damage caused by the flood of pills, which caused hundreds of overdose deaths. In one country, 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in a four-year period—about 400 for every county resident. Similar trials against the pharmacy chains are underway in West Virginia, Florida, and California.
And finally, if you are in need of drug treatment, the go-to site is often the one run by the government (FindTreatment.gov), which was launched in 2019 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to help hundreds of thousands of Americans who are seeking services. But now, an investigation finds that the site—which lists some 13,000 state-licensed treatment facilities—has critical flaws, including inaccurate and outdated information, a lack of filtering options, and little guidance on how to identify high-quality treatment. For example, the site does not indicate which types of care are most likely to be successful—even though the government funds research on that subject. The site does only minimal vetting of the facilities displayed, which can lead patients to spend thousands of dollars on ineffective treatment or predatory facilities. With overdose deaths reaching record highs, it’s time to fix the site and help those struggling with addiction find the best, most effective, and safest treatment.