Rep. Katherine Clark Cautions WHO Against Oxy Manufacturer's International Push

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Massachusetts lawmaker and her colleague from across the aisle are leading the charge against one drug manufacturer's attempt to expand internationally. Rep. Katherine Clark, a Democrat from Massachusetts' 5th District, and Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers sent a letter to World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan calling on the organization to prevent Mundipharma International from fueling a "worldwide opioid epidemic."

Mundipharma is the international arm of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the company that developed OxyContin. The prescription painkiller is often considered one of the catalysts of the opioid crisis in the United States.

"The greed and recklessness of one company and its partners helped spark a public health crisis in the United States that will take generations to fully repair," the letter stated.

The letter places the blame for the opioid crisis squarely on the shoulders of Purdue and its partner, Abbot Laboratories. Clark and Rogers cite court documents indicating Purdue was aware of Oxycontin's high risk of addiction as far back as the early stages of development. They also accuse Abbot of "misleading and aggressive" marketing practices in selling the drug as a "solution for day-to-day pain," despite the Food and Drug Administration's recommended dosage being ineffective for many patients.

According to the the letter, OxyContin prescriptions have fallen nearly 40 percent since 2010 following lawmaker and prescriber efforts to curtail opioid use. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue and Mundipharma, has "simply moved on" as a result, Clark and Rogers wrote.

"Mundipharma now aggressively markets OxyContin internationally," the letter stated. "In fact, Mundipharma uses many of the same tactics that caused the opioid epidemic to flourish in the U.S., though now in countries with far fewer resources to devote to the fallout."

Purdue, however, rebuked the lawmakers' claims and described itself as "part of a global network of independent associated companies" in an emailed statement.

“Purdue Pharma is part of a global network of independent associated companies operating in different countries, under different leadership structures, selling diverse product portfolios, and functioning within distinct regulatory environments. Here in the U.S., Purdue is committed to working collaboratively with public officials to address the opioid crisis. OxyContin accounts for less than 2% of the opioid analgesic prescription market nationally, but we are an industry leader in the development of abuse-deterrent technology and advocating for the use of prescription drug monitoring programs.”

The letter, which urges the WHO to learn from recent U.S. history and "rein in" Mundipharma's tactics "while there is still time," was signed by 10 other members of Congress.

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