GlaxoSmithKline fined a mere £5000 for a breach of Pharmaceutical Industry regulations. They join the Hall of Shame
Tag: Regulatory failure
‘Dopesick’: The Long View of Big Pharma
‘Dopesick’ charts the harrowing scandal of OxyContin addiction in the USA, from its origins in Appalachia, one of the first areas identified by the Sackler family of Purdue Pharma to target their new opioid pain relief medication. The Sacklers claimed OxyContin was non-addictive, and aggressively marketed the drug. These claims, couched in the humanitarian discourse of ‘changing attitudes towards pain management’, led to a drastic increase in opioid addiction and drug overdose deaths across the USA. The tragedy was amplified by the complete failure of the FDA to act on evidence about the dangers of OxyContin.
