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Nov-20-2011 17:02printcomments

Wrestling Drug Abuse in South Carolina

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein

US Attorney Bill Nettles
US Attorney Bill Nettles offered opening remarks, delving into the drug problem that faces the state of South Carolina.

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) - This past week I attended the South Carolina Prescription Drug Abuse Summit in Columbia, SC. It was very well attended by law enforcement and the medical profession. Opening remarks into the drug problem in South Carolina were given by US Attorney Bill Nettles, Attorney General Alan Wilson and from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), William W. Douglas and Joseph T. Rannazzisi.

Topics discussed were Trafficking and Abuse Trends, Mortality Trends Related to Prescription Drug Abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse & Overdose, Non-medical Use of Controlled Medications - Adolescents and Young Adults, Prescription Drug Abuse Problems, Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, An Awareness Approach to Pill Mills, Pain Management - Taming the Narcotic Dragon and Responding to South Carolina's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis & Successes and Challenges in Other States.

I did reach a frustration level during a DEA presentation when the names Rush Limbaugh, Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith were put on the screen. How long are we going to have to be subjected to the "poster celebrities" of prescription drugs? The DEA may want to consider addressing why they allow the mass manufacturing of opioids to find their way out into the streets. In fact, I asked a speaker from the DEA this question and I was told that I should ask that question of "PhRMA" later in the day.

If you are curious about the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America or PhRMA, they are headquartered in Washington, D.C. PhRMA represents the country’s leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies. Simply put, they are the pharmaceutical companies best friend -- a lobbying group. A list of the pharmaceutical companies who they support -- and who support PhRMA is shown below:

So why would I want to ask the PhRMA speaker about the mass manufacturing of opioids hitting the streets when the DEA controls the manufacture of opioids -- not a lobbying group for the pharmaceutical industry?

Marjorie Powell, Senior Assistant
General Counsel for PhRMA

I became curious about Marjorie E. Powell, Senior Assistant General Counsel for PhRMA who was on a panel at the end of the drug summit. Ms. Powell feels that no pharmaceutical company has accomplished more than Purdue Pharma in educating and preventing drug addiction, overdose, abuse and death -- law enforcement disagrees with her. Ms. Powell conveniently forgets that the maker of OxyContin lied about the addictive and abusive qualities of their drug and is directly responsible for the prescription drug epidemic this country and Canada is now dealing with. But then, Purdue Pharma, as convicted felons, are members of PhRMA.

Back in 2007, Ms. Powell was not in favor of a full disclosure relative to pharmaceutical companies and their "gifts" to physicians in promoting drugs to be prescribed to patients. Powell said "Industry follows its own code of ethics". Somehow the word "ethics" and Powell make me think that Ms. Powell should consider washing her dirty hands instead of her defending Purdue Pharma.

Critics say financial relationships between doctors and drug companies can jeopardize patient care by causing physicians to prescribe medications even though they may not be the best choice for the patient The most controversial payments involve consulting arrangements and promotional speeches.

Drug company officials argue they are paying for talks that provide much-needed medical education, given by physicians who are experts in their fields.

This tactic is not new. Studies indicate that when doctors receive even small gifts from a pharmaceutical company, it increases the chance that the doctor will prescribe that company’s drug. When fees for speaking are involved, mega dollars come into play -- some expert call it “payola” while others call it a “bribe.”

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) adamantly defends pharmaceutical companies involvement with physicians and other health care practitioners, saying such relationships are an important element of patient care.

While some relationships are bona fide, often it’s a “sham,”said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a licensed general physician who teaches at Georgetown University. Drug companies select doctors who support their marketing goals, Fugh-Berman said. They will fly these doctors around to medical meetings, write their articles for them and make sure their voices drown out the voices of researchers who are saying things inconsistent with their marketing goals.

Pharmaceutical companies lure physicians into their promotional talks and speeches by preying on the egos of physicians, telling them that they are “so great, so fabulous and an opinion leader,” Fugh-Berman said.

“It’s hard for people to believe doctors are that naive but believe me, they are that naive.”

Rest assured, she said, anyone with a message that runs counter to a drug company’s marketing goals will pay their own way, not be asked to speak and certainly not be tapped as a consultant.

The S.C. drug summit talked about young people wanting to get into "grandma's medicine cabinet" to get high. Maybe the next summit should focus on the question of why dangerous drugs are being manufactured in such quantities to find their way into the streets and "grandma's medicine cabinet." Why the DEA allows this mass manufacturing to occur under their watch. Why the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) refuses to reclassify a dangerous drug called OxyContin for "severe" pain only -- and not for moderate pain. Why lobbying groups such as PhRMA and the American Pain Foundation perpetrate the prescription drug epidemic by their ties to the pharmaceutical industry and the marketing ploy of the "undertreatment of pain" in America.

The SC drug summit was informative -- but future summits need to address the true culprits in this epidemic of prescription drug addiction -- it's not grandma.

Pharmaceutical companies that are members of PhRMA:


Abbott
100 Abbott Park Road
Abbott Park, IL 60064
(847) 937-6100 (phone)
(847) 937-1511 (fax)
352 Knotter Drive
Cheshire, CT 06410
203-272-2596 (phone)
203-271-8198 (fax)
852 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 609-6000 (phone)
(781) 890-0524 (fax)
One Amgen Center Drive
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
(805) 447-1000 (phone)
(805) 447-1985 (fax)
6166 Nancy Ridge Drive
San Diego, CA 92121
858-453-7200 (phone)
858-453-7210 (fax)
Three Parkway North
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 317-8800 (phone)
(847) 317-5983 (fax)
1800 Concord Pike
P.O. Box 15437
Wilmington, DE 19850
(302) 886-3000 (phone)
(302) 886-2972 (fax)
6 West Belt
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
(973) 694-4100 (phone)
(973) 487-2003 (fax)
133 Boston Post Road
Weston, MA 02493
781-464-2000 (phone)
617-679-2617 (fax)
BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
105 Digital Drive
Novato, CA 94949
415-506-6700 (Phone)
415-382-7889 (Fax)
900 Ridgebury Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877
(203) 798-9988 (phone)
(203) 791-6234 (fax)
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154
(212) 546-4000 (phone)
(212) 546-4094 (fax)
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Worldwide Medicines Group
777 Scudders Mill Road
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
(609) 252-4000 (phone)
(609) 252-5360 (fax)
86 Morris Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 673-9000 (phone)
(908) 673-9001 (fax)
1020 1st Avenue
King of Prussia, PA 19406
65 Hayden Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421
781-860-8660 (phone)
781-240-0256 (fax)
Two Hilton Court
Parsippany, NJ 07054
(973) 359-2600 (phone)
(973) 359-2645 (fax)
2-6-8 Doshomachi
Chuo-ky
Osaka, Japan 541-0045
81-6-6203-5321 (Phone)
81-6-6203-6581 (Fax)
84 Waterford Drive
Marlborough, MA 01752
508-481-6700 (Phone)
508-357-7490 (Fax)
1360 O'Brien Drive,
Melon, CA 94025
(650) 462-5900 (phone)
(650) 462-9993 (fax)
100 Tice Boulevard
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
(201) 692-1100 (phone)
(201) 692-1804 (fax)
Lilly Corporate Center
893 South Delaware
Indianapolis, IN 46285
(317) 276-2000 (phone)
(317) 276-9707 (fax)
One Technology Place
Rockland, MA 02370
(781) 982-9000 (phone)
(781) 982-9478 (fax)
100 Endo Boulevard
Chadds Ford, PA 19317
(610) 558-9800 (phone)
(610) 558-8979 (fax)
4 Gatehall Drive
3rd Floor
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: (973) 796-1600
Fax: (973) 796-1664
500 Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02142
(617) 252-7500 (phone)
(617) 252-7600 (fax)
Five Moore Drive
P.O. Box 13398
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
(919) 483-2100 (phone)
(919) 483-6002 (fax)
79 T.W. Alexander Drive
4101 Research Commons
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
919-316-6300 (phone)
919-316-6302 (fax)
1160 US Highway 22, Suite 104
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
908-203-6548 (phone)
908-575-1978 (fax)
1033 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 355
Northbrook, IL 60062
224-383-3000 (phone)
224-383-3001 (fax)
Ikaria, Inc.
6 State Route 173
Clinton, NJ 08809
Phone: 908-238-6600
Fax: 908-238-6633
One Johnson & Johnson Plaza
New Brunswick, NJ 08933
(732) 524-0400 (phone)
(732) 214-0332 (fax)
Four Parkway North
Suite 200
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 282-1000 (phone)
(847) 282-1001 (fax)
Merck & Co., Inc.
770 Sumneytown Pike
P. O. Box 4
Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889
(908) 423-1000 (phone)
(908) 423-1160 (fax)
Merck Human Health Division - U.S. Human Health
351 North Sumneytown Pike
North Wales, PA 19454
(215) 652-5000 (phone)
Merck Research Laboratories
770 Sumneytown Pike
West Point, PA 19486
(215) 652-5000 (phone)
Merck Vaccine Division
770 Sumneytown Pike
West Point, PA 19486
(215) 652-5000 (phone)
(215) 993-0884 (fax)
1 Health Plaza
East Hanover, NJ 07936
(862) 778-8300 (phone)
(973) 781-8265 (fax)
100 College Road West
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 987-5800 (phone)
(609) 580-2406 (fax)
3344 North Torrey Pines Ct.
Suite 200
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-875-8600 (phone)
858-875-8650 (fax)
1 University Square Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-452-2922 (phone)
609-452-0795 (fax)
Otsuka America
Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI)

1 University Square Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-452-2922 (phone)
609-452-0795 (fax)
Otsuka Pharmaceuticals
Development &
Commercialization, Inc. (OPDC)

2440 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
301-990-0030 (phone)
301-212-8647 (fax)
Otsuka Maryland Medicinal
Laboratories (OMML)

2440 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
301-990-0030 (phone)
301-212-8647 (fax)
235 East 42nd Street
16th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 733-2323 (phone)
(212) 573-7851 (fax)
Purdue Pharma L.P.
One Stamford Forum
Stamford, CT 06901
(203) 588-8000 (phone)
(203) 588-8850 (fax)
sanofi-aventis U.S.
300-400 Somerset Corporate Boulevard
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 243-6000 (phone)
(908) 243-6483 (fax)
sanofi pasteur
Discovery Drive
Swiftwater, PA 18370
(570) 839-7187 (phone)
(570) 839-0955 (fax)
sanofi-aventis
55 Corporate Drive, 55B-210A
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 981-6957 (phone)
(908) 243-2313 (fax)
Shionogi Inc.
300 Campus Drive
Florham Park, NJ 07932
(973) 966-6900 (phone)
9841 Washingtonian Blvd. Suite 500
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Phone: (301) 948-1041
Fax: (301) 948-2049
4520 East West Highway
3rd Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
United States
301-961-3400 (phone)
301-961-3440 (fax)
1 Takeda Parkway
Deerfield, IL 60015
(224) 554-6500 (phone)
901 Gateway Boulevard
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 808-6000 (phone)
(650) 827-8690 (fax)
1110 Spring Street
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 301-608-9292
Fax: 301-608-9291
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
130 Waverly Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617-444-6100
106 Allen Road
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
908-212-1020 (phone)
908- 542-1329 (fax)
2910 Seventh Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-644-1170 (phone)
510-644-0539 (fax)


 

LP - The touching thought in the Igloo, Roy Orbison smiling down on you with tears in his eyes, the Titans -- what a beautiful week. Thank you for your love and giving me peace -- both which I return to you every minute of every day.

_________________________________

Salem-News.com Reporter Marianne Skolek, is an Activist for Victims of OxyContin and Purdue Pharma throughout the United States and Canada. In July 2007, she testified against Purdue Pharma in Federal Court in Virginia at the sentencing of their three CEO's - Michael Friedman, Howard Udell and Paul Goldenheim - who pleaded guilty to charges of marketing OxyContin as less likely to be addictive or abused to physicians and patients. She also testified against Purdue Pharma at a Judiciary Hearing of the U.S. Senate in July 2007. Marianne works with government agencies and private attorneys in having a voice for her daughter Jill, who died in 2002 after being prescribed OxyContin, as well as the voice for scores of victims of OxyContin. She has been involved in her work for the past 8-1/2 years and is currently working on a book that exposes Purdue Pharma for their continued criminal marketing of OxyContin.

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.

Marianne Skolek
National Activist for Victims of OxyContin and
Purdue Pharma - a criminally convicted pharmaceutical company
Staff Writer, Salem-News.com

http://www.purduepharma.com/pressroom/app/news_announc/USGovt_reponse_Main.pdf

http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=2905&wit_id=6612

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/sebelius-response.pdf

http://www.vawd.uscourts.gov/PurdueFrederickCo/default.asp

www.oxydeaths.com




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Joanne Sura November 21, 2011 8:00 am (Pacific time)

When you are required to use prescription drugs for management of different ailments affecting you then it is I’mportant for you to gain the exposure to the different aspect of such drugs. A brief overview of why an opioid such as Hydrocodone APAP is prescribed will help you learn that it is essentially for pain management. It will give you the necessary insight to realize that, when you use drugs such as Oxycontin manufactured by Purdue Pharma, the physical and mental changes occurring within you are due to the reaction of the chemical compounds with your body. This will not only give you the confidence to handle the unexpected situations arising of nausea or constipation and not being overwhelmed by it along with the stress and trauma of injury or accident etc.

Editor: The problem is addiction, death, you know that kind of stuff.


Matt Johnson November 20, 2011 8:03 pm (Pacific time)

Thanks for the list, that is valuable. It is hard to put this problem into words, it is large and out of control and LEGAL, I sometimes wonder if the US is becoming a land of dumbed down drug zombies.

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