Citizen Brief: The Pharmaceutical Ecosystem

​

The prescription medication perspective

​

Prescription Opioids: From research to approval to marketing to distribution to payment and physician education and prescription to patient diversion inappropriate use.

 

Will focus on the interaction of the stakeholders at the various levels. Will explore decision points. How to create a map 

240,000,000

Incorporate distribution channels 

​

The pharmaceutical industry/ sector of the pain opioid ecosystem has had a significant role in the “seeding “ and growth of the epidemic. From research to approval to marketing to distribution to payment and physician education and prescription to patient diversion inappropriate use, much of the blame has been levied at Pharma. The current litigation of Purdue in Ohio seeks to hold the company accountable for its part in deceptive marketing of opioids. In the media, the company and its owners have been vilified. Recently, congress held a hearing that “shamed” executives of the company. Unfortunately, examining the pharmaceutical industries culpability, although convenient and just, has contributed to missing an opportunity to better understand the complexity of the epidemic and the role of the various stakeholders that have and continue to fuel the epidemic. This article uses a complexity lens to focus on the pharmaceutical sector within the pain opioid ecosystem. Additionally, we examine the interaction of the stakeholders at the various levels. Lessons and suggestions will be provided.

​