AHS Views

The only funeral director in Pineville, West Virgina, recently commented on the number of deaths caused by prescription drug overdoses - painkillers like OxyContin being the major problem. “If these people had died of the swine flu, we’d probably be making national headlines,” he said.

Well, it does make national headlines - every day you can find at least one news story about someone dying because of prescription drugs. And sometimes there’s one story in the news for days - like when Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, was sued and paid $634 million as fines for falsely marketing the drug as less addictive and dangerous than other painkillers.

But resolution of the prescription drug addiction, abuse, and overdose problem is going to take far more than a few headlines. We’ve actually got to stop prescribing the drugs unless they’re absolutely necessary.

OxyContin, for example, was initially intended for terminally ill cancer patients - they need relief - and unbearable pain that hasn’t responded to any other remedies. Instead, it’s being given to people who have headaches, had a tooth pulled, had very minor surgery, have back pain - yes, I realize people have to function, but how many people with back pain have ever been through a full reatment program with a chiropractor, physical therapists or acupuncturist - not many you can be sure.

It’s not just up to the FDA - big pharm’s big business and needs big changes. But they’ve got so much money, and so many people dependant on it one way or another - that a big pharma crash is going to effect the economy.

Even worse is the fact big pharma’s got people convinced that drugs are needed - and a certain percentage of them are, no doubt about that. But that percentage is small - and it doesn’t include some of the biggest money makers.

Is the FDA going to address that successsfully? Not likely. We need a real paradigm shift. It’s going to have to come from the top. C’mon Obama, move it. It should be in the health care plan.