Making OxyContin 'Tamper Proof' Helped Spread Hepatitis C

[neversickanymore]

Making OxyContin 'Tamper Proof' Helped Spread Hepatitis C
By Steven Reinberg
Feb. 4, 2019

MONDAY, Feb. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- An effort to make the opioid painkiller OxyContin harder to abuse drove addicted patients to heroin and caused a dramatic increase in hepatitis C, a new study suggests.

In a classic case of unintended consequences, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma reformulated its powerful and popular drug OxyContin for the right reasons. It became harder to crush or dissolve, thus making it harder to snort or inject for a fast high.

But that change left millions of addicted patients without their drug of choice, so they turned to another opioid -- heroin. Heroin users inject the drug and often share needles, which has spread hepatitis C and resulted in outbreaks of HIV, experts say.

"The fact that we are seeing a rise in hepatitis C infection rates suggests that even if we could stop fatal overdoses, we're going to have long-term public health consequences, because hepatitis C has long-term and very costly effects," said the study's lead researcher, David Powell. He's a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.

Powell said the OxyContin reformulation probably wouldn't have had this effect if there weren't a readily available, cheap substitute like heroin.
After the reformulation, Powell's team found that in states with high rates of OxyContin abuse, rates of hepatitis C increased three times faster than in other states.

Although the study can't prove cause and effect, the researchers said they found a direct link between the changes in OxyContin and the swell of hepatitis C infections.


conthttps://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-02-04/making-oxycontin-tamper-proof-helped-spread-hepatitis-c

 

[AlextheKing]

Interesting story. Who are they really helping by putting 500mg of Tylenol in my Vicodins? Im still going to take them, only now Im going to die of liver failure at age 35 because they only want me taking 6 at a time instead 15. The absurd amounts of APAP in pills is 100 percent detrimental and 0 percent harm reducing.

 

[cj]

Unintended consequences my ass! Everyone knew cracking down on prescription opiates would push people to heroin. Its the most obvious consequence imaginable. No one who understood opiate addiction thought people would just say "damn I guess that is it now that the price of IR oxy just tripled. Nah they knew people would switch to heroin. They knew people where going to die. They just did not care. There was no simultaneous push to get people on maintenance or even into rehab. They cut the cord and let the free market deal the consequences. Every parent who's kid died should be out front the FDA with pitchforks. Fucking Hep c that's getting off easy and I can say that because I am infected.

For the record it's easy to be philosophical when some other cunts got shit for blood

Edit hold up this asshole just seriously said "The oxycontin reformulation probably wouldnt have had this effect if there weren't a readily available cheap substitute..... Heroin."

Wow I had to read that shit then pull my jaw off the floor. Ill give credit it takes balls to spew some BS like that. Like saying I could probably fly if it wasn't for that damn gravity. I mean really had no one heard of heroin before? It hurts to be lied to so obviously. Like how dumb do you think we are?