Dr Russell Portenoy agreed to cooperate with lawyers in return for dropping legal actions against him
A doctor who led the charge for mass prescribing of opioids in the US, and was then paid by Purdue Pharma to help drive sales of OxyContin, is to testify against the drugmaker and other companies facing a raft of lawsuits over America’s opioid epidemic.
Dr Russell Portenoy, who many experts believe did more than any other specialist to erode longstanding caution within the medical profession over prescribing opioids because of addiction fears, has agreed to cooperate with lawyers for cities and counties suing drug makers, distributors and pharmacies in return for dropping legal actions against him.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2D4LaTi
