Judge Rules in Favor of Pharmaceutical Companies in Opioid Case

 

Recently, a judge in Georgia ruled in favor of pharmaceutical companies in a lawsuit regarding the opioid crisis.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/health/opioid-victims-trial-georgia.html

                                                      Image taken from arstechnica.com

     Opioids are substances that interact with opioid receptors in nerve cells, resulting in signals that are transmitted to the brain. These signals result in pain reduction but can also cause euphoria. As a result, opioids are often used recreationally. Continued use of opioids can lead to psychological and physical dependence, and stopping the medication can lead to withdrawal symptoms. An overdose of opioids can lead to respiratory depression and death.

     There are several types of opioids.  Endogenous opioids participate in cellular signaling. Natural opioids such as morphine are derived from plants and are commonly used as a pain reliver. Within the last century, pharmaceutical companies have been exploiting the pain-relieving effects of opioids and have developed numerous synthetic opioids, which are usually more potent than their natural counterparts.

                                  Structure of fentanyl, a common synthetic opioid. Image taken from PubChem.

     In the past few decades, recreational opioid use in the United States has increased dramatically. An increase in overdoses and deaths has corresponded with the prevalence of opioid abuse as well as the higher potency of opioid substances. Many people have accused pharmaceutical companies of fueling this “opioid crisis” through irresponsible advertising of pain medication. It has been argued that pharmaceutical companies were not open about the side effects and risks of the medications, which ultimately resulted in the over-prescription of these medications and unnecessary opioid dependence. Pharmaceutical companies have been subjected to numerous lawsuits over the past few decades and have been found to be responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis through irresponsible advertising. However, a recent lawsuit in Georgia found that several pharmaceutical companies were not liable for damage caused by the opioid epidemic.  

     Despite the topic being discussed, this article did not seem to paint pharmaceutical companies or chemists in a negative light. The author suggests several times that the opioid epidemic is a complex issue, and the entirety of the blame should not lie on the pharmaceutical companies. The article also describes how individual pharmacies and physicians were responsible for the over-prescription of opioids and states that pharmaceutical companies did not have the ability to monitor how their drugs are being described. The author highlights how quickly the jury reached a decision, perhaps suggesting it should be obvious that pharmaceutical companies should not be held responsible for the consequences of the opioid epidemic.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, June 1). Understanding the opioid overdose epidemic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/basics/epidemic.html

Hoffman, J. (2023, March 2). Opioid distributors cleared of liability to Georgia families ravaged by addiction. The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/01/health/opioid-victims-trial-georgia.html

National Center for Biotechnology Information (2023). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 3345, Fentanyl. Retrieved March 9, 2023 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Fentanyl.