Conflicting Interests in Ohio Over OxyContin - Part 2

"Actions are visible -- though motives are secret." Samuel Johnson

Danna Droz. Photo published under conditions of “Fair Use” as stated under US Copyright Law: fair use of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. Copyright: Findlay Univ.

(MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) - Last week I wrote an article about a pharmacist turned attorney named Danna Droz who serves as the Administrator for the Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) of the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy and her ties to the pharmaceutical industry which could be construed as a conflict of industry -- I mean interest.

It seems Ms. Droz has quite a resume of associations with the pharmaceutical industry as she serves on the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy. We'll begin with her graduating from the University of Kentucky, College of Pharmacy and working in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy as well as in state government. Ms. Droz is also a 1996 graduate of the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, and a member of the Kentucky and Ohio Bars.

Ms. Droz is a frequent lecturer on prescription monitoring programs, and drug law topics including pharmacy drug law, drug law for practitioners, federal drug law, drug diversion, and legal issues in pain management. She also consults with states that have or are considering prescription monitoring programs.

Danna Droz affiliation with the State of Kentucky

The trail of ties to the pharmaceutical industry, conflict of interest and Ms. Droz are entrenched in a May 2009 "Coalition on Appalachian Substance Abuse Policy (CASAP)." In that report (link provided below), it states that drug related deaths in Ohio soared 304 percent from 1999 to 2007 due to prescription pain medications such as OxyContin. It went on to indicate that 38 states had either started or authorized their own monitoring programs with grants from the U.S. Department of Justice. Ohio was set to share prescription data with Kentucky, after the Ohio Pharmacy Board found a substantial number of people were obtaining prescriptions out of state.

"When we're able to share live data, physicians will be able to get better information on patients and hopefully discourage people from going to multiple doctors," Droz said.

In 2001, Droz had an ethics investigation against her in Kentucky while serving on a national advisory board funded by the manufacturer of the pain reliever OxyContin - Purdue Pharma. Ms. Droz, a manager for the drug control unit of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services, had been on the 14-member advisory board assembled by Purdue Pharma. Dr. Rice Leach, commissioner for the Department of Public Health, requested an Executive Ethics Commission inquiry on whether Ms. Droz had a conflict of interest with Purdue Pharma. At the time, Ms. Droz, declined comment and referred all questions to Purdue Pharma.

Strange that Ms. Droz would refer questions to Purdue Pharma -- especially if she was not connected to them.

Danna Droz served on a committee with the State of Florida when they considered an investigation of Purdue Pharma's tactics in marketing OxyContin.

Oxycontin: a highly addictive, deadly drug by Purdue Pharma, is strongly defended by addicts and industry profiteers.

In 2002 Ms. Droz was Executive Branch Manager of the Department of Public Health when the State of Florida and Purdue Pharma reached an agreement. The Attorney General of Florida had been conducting an investigation of the sales and marketing activities of Purdue in conjunction with OxyContin. The investigation was terminated and a decision made to take no legal action against Purdue Pharma. (Link to document provided below).

J. David Haddox (dentist turned psychiatrist) employed as a medical director by Purdue Pharma, Charlie Cichon, President of NADDI, who the year before awarded Ms. Droz the "educator of the year" award and Ms. Droz all worked together on a Florida Diversion Program. With Florida now considered the "pill mill capitol" of the U.S. in addiction, death and abuse of prescription drugs, this trio of "experts" may have had their focus on pharmaceutical profits -- and not drug diversion

I once said that I wouldn't believe anything Haddox said -- even if his tongue were notarized. This after he misled the medical community by trying to convince them they weren't dealing with "addiction" -- but rather it was "pseudo-addiction." In view of Ms. Droz's conflicts of interest, the notarized tongue distinction is as applicable to her as it is to Haddox.

Danna Droz's affiliation with the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI), which is heavily funded by the maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma

In 2001, NADDI named Ms. Droz "Educator of the Year" for her work with health care practitioners and law enforcement officers.

Danna Droz "French Connection" to the University of Wisconsin - recipient of $2.5 million funding from Purdue Pharma for "slanted" pain studies and undivulged information on funding for bogus studies

June Dahl, PhD, Director of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, raised concerns that the scrutiny of monitoring programs could discourage doctors from prescribing opioid drugs to patients who needed them for pain control. But the University of Wisconsin was on "the take" of $2.5 million from Purdue Pharma -- so how legitimate were their studies? In April 2011, I (as well as other national media) exposed the University of Wisconsin concerning a possible ethics violation or criminal activity in their pain studies. The University of Wisconsin Pain & Policy Studies Group did not think it necessary to divulge that they were on the take from the pharmaceutical industry to "push" narcotics. (Link below).

Ms. Droz and Dr. Dahl worked together on the following policy panels (not limited to the three listed below):

1. National Advisory Panel, State of Kansas
2. Council of State Governments National Center for Interstate Compacts "Prescription Drug Monitoring - Exploring Interstate Cooperation - National Advisory Panel, Washington, DC
3. The Alliance - Alliance of States with Prescription Monitoring Programs

On February 26, Ms. Droz will be a presenter at the American Academy of Pain Management - ."2012 Safe Opioid Prescribing Course" in Palm Springs, California. Her topic of discussion will be Prescription Monitoring Programs (PMP) as Standard Practice Improving Access Utilization and Patient Care. Another tie, or conflict of interest as regards Purdue Pharma -- Dr. Haddox chaired the task force that developed the American Academy of Pain Management. Waters mudded enough for you? Maybe Ms. Droz has stayed under the radar successfully with ties to the lucrative pharmaceutical industry, but the trail from Kentucky, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and to Palm Springs, California leads to the front door of Purdue Pharma's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut and should make law enforcement agencies skin crawl.

LP -- Hear that sound?  It is called love, peace, faith and sharing.  I hear it every minute of every day with you.

Part 1 www.salem-news.com/articles/february042012/osycontin-ohio-ms.php

cdar.uky.edu/casap/Media/Updates/CASAP%20NEWS%20UPDATE%20May%201.09.pdf
www.egilman.com/Documents/Florida%20Oxycontin%20Documents/Oxycontin/Documents%20from%20FL%20settlement/Disc%201/Misc%20DAG%20file%2001%20draft.pdf
www.salem-news.com/articles/april222011/pain-studies-ms.php

Marianne is a nurse having graduated in 1991 as president of her graduating class. She also has a Paralegal certification. Marianne served on a Community Service Board for the Courier News, a Gannet newspaper in NJ writing articles predominantly regarding AIDS patients and their emotional issues. She was awarded a Community Service Award in 1993 by the Hunterdon County, NJ HIV/AIDS Task Force in recognition of and appreciation for the donated time, energy and love in facilitating a Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS.

Marianne Skolek
National Activist for Victims of OxyContin and
Purdue Pharma - a criminally convicted pharmaceutical company
Staff Writer, Salem-News.com
www.purduepharma.com/pressroom/app/news_announc/USGovt_reponse_Main.pdf
judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=2905&wit_id=6612
hi.bnet.com/blogs/sebelius-response.pdf
www.vawd.uscourts.gov/PurdueFrederickCo/default.asp