What Might Unsealed Opioid Marketing Records Reveal?
Recently there’s been some insightful reporting by STAT (owned by Boston Globe Media) on marketing opioids. In the true spirit of investigative journalism, they have filed to make public the testimony that a past president of Purdue Pharma had given to the Attorney General of Kentucky. These records reveal could reveal how marketing practices contributed to the current epidemic of opioid dependence. Purdue has appealed the decision to unseal the testimony, leaving observers to wonder what the deposition might contain that would be so damaging for the public to know about. It could be many months before the contents emerge, if ever.
Shining a spotlight on marketing practices is a crucial step toward resolving the current opioid epidemic. It might also reinforce the value of more socially responsible marketing in general. Most attention is focused on the downstream consequences of accelerating opioid use- in terms of lives lost, and the role that physician-patient communication has played at facilitating substance dependence. Upstream, manufacturer-physician communication is a key driver that has received comparatively less attention. Purdue, in particular, spent heavily to promote oxycodone formulations for chronic, non-malignant pain. Therefore, it’s their marketing practices being singled out for public scrutiny.