Opioid Evangelist Switches Sides in Case Alleging Pharma Abuse
- Doctor now says industry promoted drugs and ignored the risks
- Portenoy agrees to aid lawsuits seeking billions in damages
Photographer: Diane Bondareff/The New York Times via Redux
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A doctor who was an early evangelist for increased use of highly addictive opioids like OxyContin to treat chronic pain -- and who was paid to promote the idea -- has switched sides and now says drug makers helped to create a U.S. epidemic by failing to acknowledge the risks of abuse.
Dr. Russell Portenoy, a medical-school professor who studied pain for more than 30 years, has agreed to testify against the industry in trials of lawsuits brought by local governments seeking billions in social costs associated with addiction, according to unsealed court filings. In a sworn statement, he said drug makers were too aggressive in promoting opioids for all kinds of ailments.