A slew of lawsuits by states and cities have targeted the APS alongside opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies for allegedly driving the epidemic. Through the 1980s, the society was at the forefront of promoting a broad approach to pain treatment and was cautious about the use of opioids. The co-author of the statement and chair of the committee that agreed it was a doctor, David Haddox, who was a paid speaker for Purdue Pharma. Portenoy was then paid by Purdue Pharma to help drive sales of OxyContin. Doctors said that contributed to pressure to prescribe because hospitals feared that dissatisfied patients could cost them their licenses.

Source: The Guardian May 25, 2019 06:00 UTC