On March 19, 2014, Jessie Yasenchok, 26, was found dead in her apartment by local police in Elizabethtown, New York. Further investigation revealed the cause of death, an accidental overdose from his mother's fentanyl patches, stolen from her car. The patches, which help relieve pain, are an opioid manufactured by Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceuticals, one of several companies considered part of "Big Pharma," the massive pharmaceutical industry. Big Pharma consists of several dozen companies that control the global prescription drug market. Although in the past Americans were taught to avoid illegal drug use at all costs, recently the fear has shifted to legal prescription medications. Due to their high dependency, opioids have risen to the top of the chain, responsible for an estimated 70,000 deaths in 2017, a massive increase from 3,000 in 2013. While the country as a whole has been hit hard affected by the epidemic, communities in the eastern United States appear to have been most affected, including New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Who is to blame? There are many criticisms that can be made about doctors who prescribe highly addictive opioids to their patients? Patients who abuse medications? The greed of Big Pharma? The role of large pharmaceutical companies in the epidemic can be considered from several angles: economic, ethical and mental, and above all political. As lawmakers try to combat the opioid crisis by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable, they face an uphill battle against shady lobbying practices and corporate greed. Like many industries, big pharmaceutical companies spend millions on lobbying in Washington, D.C. and state capitols across the country. At a meeting in Minnesota to discuss a tax on opioid sales nationwide, Capitol anti-addiction activist Jessica Nickel listened and appeared to side with big pharma on almost every issue. the points. Many politicians in attendance became suspicious of Nickel's sudden change of opinion and began to question whether she had been paid as a lobbyist, a claim she later denied. Because of lobbying, programs intended to help people suffering from opioid addiction are underfunded. Conducting an interview for the internationally renowned World Health Organization, writer Anderson Tatum asked entrepreneur Dan Schoepf about his addiction. Schoepf responded by stating, "I used up my supply of prescribed medications too quickly and went into withdrawal until I received my next prescription." » Like many industries, big pharmaceutical companies seek to turn a profit and, in order to keep their pills on the market, spend millions on lobbying in Washington, D.C. and state capitols across the country. In the last ten years alone, the pharmaceutical industry has spent around 2.5 billion to convince legislators. Lobbyists aren't the only ones getting money. In addition to the advocates, politicians have also accepted money from big pharmaceutical companies, as the Guardian reports citing the names of several executives who received payment, including Tom Moraino, a current Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, and former named President Trump's drug czar. The money spent byBig pharmaceutical companies will continue to be used to cover themselves, rather than to help those harmed by their own products, unless something is done. Recently, the pricing practices of pharmaceutical companies have also come under scrutiny. Senators questioned the apparent price gouging of life-saving drugs, such as Epipen. Meanwhile, companies have suspiciously lowered the prices of highly addictive fentanyl patches. In addition to questionable pricing policies, big pharmaceutical companies have been accused of fraudulent marketing. A report from the highly respected Los Angeles Times states that the creators of OxyContin, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, falsely labeled the drugs' potency. One must ask why companies, which already control a significant portion of the market, feel the need to engage in such unethical behavior. While it may seem like big pharma is getting the upper hand in the opioid epidemic, additional research shows that lawmakers and law enforcement are holding big pharma accountable. In just the past three years, lawmakers have taken action in hopes of reducing the outbreak. In an article in the well-respected New York Times, writer Nick Corasaniti reported that the New Jersey legislature had sued the pharmaceutical company Perdue Pharmaceuticals. New Jersey, home to several of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, has seen a considerable number of deaths linked to the outbreak, with 2,700 in 2017. Many blame Perdue, the maker of OxyContin, one of the the best known and most addictive. opioids. In the same report, Lewis S. Nelson, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Rutgers University, believes that the massive spread of the epidemic comes from the dependence of addicts on drugs. He said that “anyone who takes opioids for more than two weeks is addicted, only about five to ten percent of people develop an addiction.” Although the risks of addiction are low, the fact that patients' bodies become dependent on the drug after just a few weeks is indicative of its dangers. It's not just New Jersey, as lawmakers in other states such as Maryland and Louisiana have pushed for restrictions on big drug companies during their own battles. In cities like Baltimore, hospitals can't afford some medical opioids because manufacturers there have raised prices exponentially. On another level, local police forces have criticized big pharmaceutical companies for endangering the lives of citizens in their cities. . In 2017, 2,000 people were killed by opioids across Massachusetts, prompting Gloucester Police Chief Leonard Campanello to unconventionally take to Facebook and post names, salaries and numbers telephone calls of the CEOs of several large pharmaceutical companies. Through the suffering they see in their communities, lawmakers and law enforcement hope their work will draw attention to the responsibility of big pharmaceutical companies for the opioid epidemic. By tackling lobbying corruption and issues in their local communities, lawmakers and law enforcement seek to hold big pharmaceutical companies accountable for their part in creating the opioid epidemic. The widespread use of anything harmful to humans will never end well for a while. population, and the epidemic 2/11/2019