{"id":368139,"date":"2021-11-17T02:48:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T23:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/courts-debunk-governments-harmful-opioid-myths\/"},"modified":"2021-11-17T02:48:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T23:48:25","slug":"courts-debunk-governments-harmful-opioid-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/courts-debunk-governments-harmful-opioid-myths\/","title":{"rendered":"#Courts debunk governments&#8217; harmful opioid myths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Courts debunk governments&#8217; harmful opioid myths<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Jacob Sullum\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jacob-sullum.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>       <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Since 2014, state and local governments have filed thousands of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies they blame for causing the \u201copioid crisis\u201d by exaggerating the benefits and minimizing the risks of pre<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ion pain medication. The theory underlying these cases is pretty straightforward: Drug manufacturers lied, and people died.<\/p>\n<p>Two recent rulings \u2014 one by a California judge, the other by the Oklahoma Supreme Court \u2014 show how\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2018\/03\/08\/americas-war-on-pain-pills-is\/\">misleading<\/a>\u00a0this widely accepted narrative is.<\/p>\n<p>Both decisions recognize that undertreatment of pain is a real problem and that bona fide patients rarely become addicted to prescription opioids, let alone die as a result.<\/p>\n<p>Three California counties, joined by the city of Oakland, started the flood of litigation against opioid manufacturers seven years ago, when they filed a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/counsel.sccgov.org\/sites\/g\/files\/exjcpb426\/files\/20180608-6th_Amended_Complaint.pdf\">complaint<\/a>\u00a0arguing that the companies they sued created a \u201cpublic nuisance\u201d by encouraging increased use of their products through false or misleading marketing campaigns. The four jurisdictions sought more than $50 billion in damages.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following a bench trial that began on April 19 and wrapped up at the beginning of last month, Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2021\/11\/02\/a-scathing-rejection-of-the-case-against-four-drug-companies-highlights-misconceptions-about-the-opioid-crisis\/\">concluded<\/a>\u00a0that the plaintiffs had failed to prove\u00a0any\u00a0of their\u00a0allegations. In a scathing\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/California-v-Purdue-Pharma-tentative-decision-11-1-21.pdf\">42-page ruling<\/a>\u00a0issued on Nov. 1, Wilson said the supposedly incriminating statements they cited were neither false nor misleading.<\/p>\n<p>As Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMra1507771\">noted<\/a>\u00a0in a 2016 review of the evidence, \u201caddiction occurs in only a small percentage of persons who are exposed to opioids \u2014 even among those with preexisting vulnerabilities.\u201d The California plaintiffs nevertheless argued that it was false or misleading to say that \u201cmost\u201d pain patients who take opioids do not show signs of addiction.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/AFP_9RD2PH.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"entry sign to the Johnson &amp; Johnson campus shows their logo in Irvine, California\" class=\"wp-image-20170300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/AFP_9RD2PH.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/AFP_9RD2PH.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/AFP_9RD2PH.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The Oklahoma State Supreme Court on November 9, 2021 overturned a historic decision to fine pharmaceutical giant Johnson &amp; Johnson $465 million for its role in the opioid crisis. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">MARK RALSTON\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That statement is consistent even with the plaintiffs\u2019 claim that one in four patients become addicted, an estimate that Wilson concluded the evidence did not support. \u201cThe more reliable data,\u201d he said, \u201cwould suggest less than 5 percent, rather than 25 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the plaintiffs portrayed the concept of \u201cpseudo-addiction,\u201d which posits that doctors might mistakenly view patients desperate for pain relief as \u201cdrug-seeking\u201d addicts, as nothing but a marketing ploy. But as Wilson noted, \u201cthis is a medically recognized term,\u201d and California law acknowledges the potential for such confusion.<\/p>\n<p>The plaintiffs viewed any suggestion that an opioid \u201cimproves function\u201d as deceptive. But Wilson thought it was \u201cbeyond debate\u201d that opioids can improve function by controlling pain well enough for a patient to resume quotidian activities like shopping, cooking and cleaning.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Wilson noted that the plaintiffs \u201cmade no effort to distinguish between medically appropriate and medically inappropriate prescriptions.\u201d Since both California and the federal government have determined that the benefits of medically appropriate opioid use outweigh its risks, he said, a rise in prescriptions by itself cannot constitute a \u201cpublic nuisance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A week later, the Oklahoma Supreme Court\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2021\/11\/10\/oklahoma-supreme-court-overturns-a-landmark-decision-blaming-johnson-johnson-for-the-states-opioid-problems\/\">rejected<\/a>\u00a0similar claims against Johnson &amp; Johnson, one of the defendants in the California case. The court\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Oklahoma-v-Johnson-Johnson-OK-SC-ruling-11-9-21.pdf\">said<\/a>\u00a0Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman, who in a landmark\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2019\/08\/28\/the-false-premises-of-the-ruling-against-johnson-johnson\/\">2019 ruling<\/a>\u00a0held the company liable for his state\u2019s opioid-related problems, \u201cerred in extending the public nuisance statute to the manufacturing, marketing and selling of prescription opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like Wilson, the Oklahoma justices emphasized the distinction between use and abuse. While \u201cimproper use of prescription opioids led to many of these [opioid-related] deaths,\u201d they said, \u201cfew deaths occurred when individuals used pharmaceutical opioids as prescribed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The court noted that \u201copioids are currently a vital treatment option\u201d for chronic pain, \u201ca persistent and costly health condition\u201d that \u201caffects millions of Americans.\u201d It added that the Food and Drug Administration \u201chas endorsed properly managed medical use of opioids (taken as prescribed) as safe, effective pain management and rarely addictive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That is not the impression left by the lawsuits that seek to blame drug companies for\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2021\/07\/15\/a-record-number-of-drug-related-deaths-illustrates-the-lethal-consequences-of-prohibition\/\">opioid-related deaths<\/a>, which nowadays overwhelmingly involve\u00a0illicit fentanyl. Patients should not have to suffer from unrelieved pain simply because the medication they need can be abused.\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/11\/16\/courts-debunk-governments-harmful-opioid-myths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Courts debunk governments&#8217; harmful opioid myths&#8221; Since 2014, state and local governments have filed thousands of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies they blame for causing the \u201copioid crisis\u201d by exaggerating the benefits and minimizing the risks of prescription pain medication. The theory underlying these cases is pretty straightforward: Drug manufacturers lied, and people died. Two recent&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":368140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/09\/judge-oks-purdue-settlement.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[119217,87869,71061,71062,73840],"class_list":["post-368139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-16-21","tag-drug-overdoses","tag-johnson-johnson","tag-opioids","tag-pharmaceuticals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}