AG Eric Holder Calls Rise in Heroin Overdose Deaths ''an urgent public health crisis''

Make yourself comfortable Mr. Holder and I will lay out the corrupt trail from the makers of Zohydro ER, to the physicians who profited from the push for opioids over the years minimizing the risks of addiction, to the pharma financed pain foundations funded by pharma and ending right at the doors to the FDA.

US Attorney General Eric Holder

(MYRTLE BEACH, SC) - Mr. Holder stated this week that heroin overdoses increased by 45 percent between 2006 and 2010.

So what are you going to do about it Mr. Holder? You're vowing to fight this urgent public crisis. When are you going to call for a full investigation into the FDA's approval of Zohydro ER (made by Zogenix) scheduled to be launched this month? In case you're not keeping up with the activities of the "watchdog of the American people" -- the FDA, they approved this dangerous opioid against their own Advisory Committee's recommendation. The Committee feared the risks of the drug known as "heroin in a capsule" outweighed the benefits. Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD and her top officials at the Agency -- Bob Rappaport, MD and Douglas Throckmorton, MD felt otherwise.

Interested in a little information on this killer opioid that will be available for chronic pain patients -- not just in the treatment of end stage cancer patients and why in my December 29, 2012 article for Salem-News.com, I suggested a "pay to play" may have been involved?  Here is the link to my article http://www.salem-news.com/articles/december292013/fda-cruel-twist-ms.php

Make yourself comfortable Mr. Holder and I will lay out the corrupt trail from the makers of Zohydro ER, to the physicians who profited from the push for opioids over the years minimizing the risks of addiction, to the pharma financed pain foundations funded by pharma and ending right at the doors to the FDA.

Why don't we begin with a pharma financed pain foundation named the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) -- currently under U.S. Senate investigation for possible monetary ties to pharma in the prescription painkiller epidemic plaguing the U.S. The AAPM just held their national convention in Phoenix, Arizona and their illustrious president, Lynn R. Webster, MD (also under U.S. Senate scrutiny for his possible financial gain by pharma in minimizing the risks of opioids in addiction and abuse). Webster is also being investigated for unexplained deaths at his pain clinic in Utah by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Keep the state Utah in your mind Mr. Holder. This will be getting more interesting.

Last month, Webster, the self-proclaimed "Pain Champion" of the U.S. was quoted as saying "I think we are doing a better job of identifying patients who need opioids and those who can benefit more from other therapies. We do need to do a better job of prescribing appropriately." But when it comes to non-pharmaceutical therapies that might be more beneficial, the Pain Champion stated "We face almost insurmountable obstacles."

So non-pharmaceutical therapies might be more beneficial, Dr. Webster? You mean such as exercise, acupuncture, healthy diets, weight loss, yoga, massage therapy and use of non-opioid medications? But these non-pharmaceutical therapies are not financially lucrative to you as a paid spokesperson for the pharmaceutical industry and heading pain societies and traveling all over the world encouraging the use of opioids and minimizing the risks of addiction, death and abuse. But maybe just maybe I'm missing something here.

So I'm confident at your annual convention of the AAPM this past week that you held court over (oh sorry "court" may have been a bad choice of words for Dr. Webster), you must have been recognizing alternative treatments for chronic pain -- didn't you Dr. Webster?

If AG Holder is truly concerned about the heroin public crisis crippling our country, maybe he'll find what took place at the AAPM convention appalling. The AAPM presented a Distinguished Service Award to "honor an individual for their outstanding commitment and contributions to the field of pain medicine and "the AAPM". The award was presented to Marsha R. Stanton, PhD, RN and Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Zogenix -- maker of Zohydro ER (heroin in a capsule). Feeling any outrage Mr. Holder? I know I am.

Dr. Stanton has been an "integral member" of the AAPM Foundation, the Utah Pain Management Nurses (Utah - Dr. Webster hangs his medical shingle in Utah -- coincidental?) and had been Director of Medical Education at Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid devastating this country by the name of OxyContin. In 2010 Stanton was given the Educator of the Year award by the National Association for Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI).

NADDI ring a bell with you AG Holder? It should. The head, or as he likes to be referred to "the Commander" of NADDI is John Burke. Mr. Burke or Commander Burke was recently appointed by the maker of Zohydro ER to serve on their External Safe Use Panel in preparation for the launch of the drug.

Still have your attention Mr. Holder? The maker of Zohydro ER (heroin in a capsule) also manufactures a drug called Vivitrol which is used to treat patients addicted to opioids, alcohol -- or Zohydro ER. Outrage? No that is not a strong enough word. Not only will Zogenix addict victims by the tens of thousands with Zohydro ER if it doesn't kill them first -- it will simultaneously treat addicted victims with their drug Vivitrol -- and make millions of dollars.

Any doubts yet Mr. Holder that corruption at the cost of tens of thousands of lives leading to the front door of the FDA in a "pay to play" requires a Justice Department investigation into the FDA for the approval of Zohydro ER? What are you going to do about it?