'Pseudo-Addiction' - Nucleus of the Prescription Drug Epidemic

"If you tell a lie big enough -- and keep repeating it -- people will eventually come to believe it." Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's Minister of Propaganda)

J. David Haddox, DDS, MD

(MYRTLE BEACH SC) - I have written over the years on someone I refer to as "the gatekeeper" of the prescription drug epidemic we are fighting in all 50 states and Canada. His name is J. David Haddox, DDS, MD, Vice President, Health Policy of Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin. OxyContin is synonymous with the words "death" "addiction" "overdose" and "abuse." Haddox was instrumental in pushing OxyContin to the medical profession as less likely to be addictive or abused by coining a word "pseudo-addiction." There was little if any scientific studies on the word pseudo-addiction, but Haddox ran with it and convinced the medical profession that if patients exhibited signs of addiction, it was in fact "pseudo-addiction.".

The definition of Haddox's word "pseudo-addiction" is A drug-seeking behavior that simulates true addiction, which occurs in patients with pain who are receiving inadequate pain medication. So Haddox's message to the medical profession was "more" is appropriate when treating patients with dangerous narcotics -- and the medical profession bought it. In the meantime, Haddox's employer, Purdue Pharma made billions of dollars in the sale of their drug OxyContin.

I maintain this one word "pseudo-addiction" was the nucleus in the prescription drug epidemic we are fighting - made a pharmaceutical company who lied about the dangers of their drug, OxyContin wealthier beyond their expectations and launched J. David Haddox, dentist turned physician as the messenger in misleading a very gullible medical profession into the true dangers of addiction.

Links to some of my writings about the illustrious Dr. Haddox are provided here -- http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october302009/purdue_.php, http://americannewsreport.com/we-dont-want-physicians-to-be-cops-we-want-them-to-be-honest-8814376  http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june212011/oxycontin-abuse-ms.php

This month, Haddox presented the keynote address at the American Medical Association - National Task Force on CME (continuing medical education). Haddox began his address by saying "I am human --therefore I am biased." He went on to discuss his current position at Purdue Pharma working his way up the corporate ladder over the last decade plus. He also mentioned that he had been past president of pain foundations which coincidentally are financially fed by Purdue Pharma.

Whether it was sheer arrogance at his ability to be such a force in prescription drugs being over-prescribed resulting in this epidemic, or his cavalier attitude, Haddox delivered this line "Conflicts are so pervasive—they can't be avoided," Interesting statement coming from "the gatekeeper."

He talked about a medical society that asked him to speak about an FDA initiative to address the prescription drug epidemic called Risk Evaluation & Mitigation Strategy (REMS). The medical society subsequently withdrew their invitation for Haddox to speak about REMS. Seems they had a problem with allowing a pharmaceutical spokesperson to be an "expert" on REMS.

But Haddox didn't agree with the medical society and countered with "Who better to talk about it?" I counter with why should the person responsible for misleading the medical profession about the dangers of addictive painkillers be the spokesperson for an FDA generated directive? Now that's a conflict of interest which falls right on the shoulders of the FDA.

Haddox further stated "Who knows the product safety profiles best? I know my products better than the FDA does. Perhaps industry should be the ones to review REMS CME content." Further he thought it was a "radical idea."

And I counter with -- we are allowing the fox to guard the hen house with this guy aligning himself as spokesperson for the FDA after misleading the medical profession about the dangers of opioids with one word -- "pseudo-addiction."

Haddox delivered this statement in his keynote speech “If they see something in two patients, they call it a series. When they see it in three patients, they say, ‘I see it in patient after patient after patient.’”

Sort of like if you make up a patient study of one patient and use the word "pseudo-addiction" in your scientific study, is it a study -- or is it as bogus as asking J. David Haddox to explain the FDA's generated REMS to the medical profession? I think the gate should be shut closed on Purdue Pharma's "gate-keeper". We have enough death and addiction without giving Haddox another 15 minutes of arrogant fame.