Prescription Opioid Abuse in the US
Factors Contributing to the severity of the problem
Role of Pharmaceutical Industry
Role of Physicians
Correlation/Causation between availability of drug & abuse
Social acceptability of using medications for different purposes
Potential Solutions Intended to Mitigate Abuse [must be evidence-based & data-driven]
Advancements in Science-- Deterrent based formulas for medications
Laws/Regulations: Federal, State, and Local levels [no organization or agency can address the problem alone; coordinated response is required]
Expansion of/Requirement to use the Prescription Monitoring Database
Successfully implemented frameworks to emulate
Public is not well-informed
Why does this public health crisis need to be addressed?
Social Responsibility: Ethical/Moral Obligation
Economic burden on society
Negative Fiscal Impact
Increase in number of overdose-related deaths
"Real-time" data: providing the ability to become aware of a problem before it become a full blown crisis
Who is affected?
Geographical region
Socioeconomic Class
Race, Age, Gender, Sex
Case Analysis: Purdue & OxyContin
Aggressive Marketing Techniques
Misrepresentation of Addictive Components
Doctor Profiling
Financial Incentives to Sales Representatives
Regulatory Oversight
FDA
Asymmetric Information
Regulatory Oversight
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Health, social, & economic welfare of the country
"Environmental Availability" of drugs due to: 1) increase in number of prescriptions, 2) social acceptability, 3)aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies
Improved education for patients & healthcare providers [physicians, pharmacists, etc.]
Development of a more convenient & environmentally responsible disposal method to remove unused medication from the home
Reduce prevalence of pill mills & doctor shopping through targeted enforcement efforts
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"Multi-pronged strategy that minimizes the intrinsic risks of opioid medications & make effective, long-term treatments available
Drastic increases in the number of prescriptions written & dispensed
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