From Medscape Medical News > Neurology
US Senate Investigates Pain Management Groups
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May 18, 2012 — Leaders of the US Senate Finance Committee have asked pain specialty organizations to disclose any financial ties or collaborations with pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioid medications. The committee's primary aim is to determine whether there has been any undue influence by these companies over research or practice guidelines governing opioid prescribing.
In letters sent to each organization, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), the committee's chair, and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a senior member, have asked the American Pain Society (APS), the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), and 5 other medical groups to release details of any funding they may have received from opioid manufacturers.
Both the APS and the AAPM will supply the information requested, their spokespersons told Medscape Medical News.
In a news release, the senators said deaths from opioid overdose have tripled over the last decade, killing 14,800 Americans in 2008 — more than the number who died of heroin and cocaine overdose combined.
"The problem of opioid abuse is bad and getting worse," Sen. Grassley said in a statement. "Something has to change. A greater understanding of the extent to which drug makers underwrite literature on opioids is a good start. Doctors and patients should know if the medical literature and groups that guide the drugs' use are paid for by the drugs' manufacturers and if so, how much."
In letters to the APS, the AAPM, the American Pain Foundation, the Center for Practical Bioethics, the Wisconsin Pain and Policy Study Group, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and the Federation of State Medical Boards, the senators ask for disclosure of any funding since 1997 and details of any collaborations producing informational materials for doctors or patients on use of opioids.
In addition, the senators wrote to Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, and Endo Pharmaceuticals asking them to disclose any financial or other relationships to the 7 organizations, as well as to the American Geriatrics Society, the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives, and Beth Israel Medical Center, Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care.
The letters are not subpoenas and no hearings have been scheduled, so the companies and organizations are only being asked to respond as a courtesy, Sen. Grassley's spokesperson, Jill Gerber, told Medscape Medical News. The senators have not announced plans for any legislation either, she said. "I don't think they have gotten that far yet."
In their statement, the senators also highlighted news reports, suggesting the increase in opioid use over the last decade "may be driven by misinformation and dubious marketing practices used by the pharmaceutical companies and the medical organizations they fund."
In their responses, both the APS and AAPM point out they are already working to discourage opioid drug abuse.
"APS also looks forward to sharing with the Committee its strong advocacy for a sound policy approach to addressing the problem of abuse and diversion of prescription analgesic medications," that organization said in a written statement. "As advocates for patients and their families, we seek to advance access to a wide range of safe and effective pain treatments, while supporting our need as a society to prevent and control drug abuse."
"Patient safety is the top priority of AAPM, which has long advocated responsible use of all appropriate pain medication, including opioids," said the AAPM's statement. "No outside entity influences the research or activities of AAPM, which gives us the independence to advocate for patients and the physicians who care for them."
No outside entity influences the research or activities of AAPM, which gives us the independence to advocate for patients and the physicians who care for them.
The American Pain Foundation has actually ceased operation, according to a statement on its Web site, "due to irreparable economic circumstances." The Board of Directors for the organization formally voted to dissolve the organization on May 3, 2012, the statement notes (www.painfoundation.org).
"As you unfortunately know, the need for public outcry around the needs of Americans struggling with pain conditions is greater today than ever before in light of the multi-front assault occurring daily on our right to dignified care," the statement adds. "Misguided state and federal policies are impeding access to appropriate and reasonable medical care for people struggling with pain, and deterring even the most compassionate medical providers from treating anyone with pain conditions."