On your specific theory of change—Perdue falsely marketed OxyContin as non-addictive, and the FDA, government, doctors, etc lapped up their slow-release coatings & other measures, when they probably should’ve known that addicts would find ways to break them. This kind of ignorance is, in my eyes, only explainable by their salaries depending on them not thinking about it, for example through industry lobbying.
If your theory of change relies on lobbying, how would you out-gun the pharmaceutical companies? And even if not all pharmaceutical companies are bad actors, how would you tackle the ones that are?
Well the theory of change here actually includes the pharma companies in trying to develop treatments. I don’t trust pharma to do anything other than profit maximize, but I think the dynamics are such that this effort won’t be in opposition to their interests and the FDA has already clamped down hard on new medications with addictive potential.
The government probably should have put the Sackler settlement money towards development of non-addictive painkillers.
On your specific theory of change—Perdue falsely marketed OxyContin as non-addictive, and the FDA, government, doctors, etc lapped up their slow-release coatings & other measures, when they probably should’ve known that addicts would find ways to break them. This kind of ignorance is, in my eyes, only explainable by their salaries depending on them not thinking about it, for example through industry lobbying.
If your theory of change relies on lobbying, how would you out-gun the pharmaceutical companies? And even if not all pharmaceutical companies are bad actors, how would you tackle the ones that are?
Well the theory of change here actually includes the pharma companies in trying to develop treatments. I don’t trust pharma to do anything other than profit maximize, but I think the dynamics are such that this effort won’t be in opposition to their interests and the FDA has already clamped down hard on new medications with addictive potential.
The government probably should have put the Sackler settlement money towards development of non-addictive painkillers.