According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, 115 people die every day in the U-S after OD'ing on opioids. This public crisis continues to grow in intensity, damaging families and communities while also straining institutions--from law enforcement to our healthcare systems.
One of the most popular opioid pain killers, Oxycontin, has been on the market since 1996. Oxy's manufacturer Purdue Pharma, had long claimed that their product was a safe drug for pain management. The company even continued to push that claim while the crisis grew throughout the country.
In a new book, "PAIN KILLER: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic", author Barry Meier details Perdue Pharma's deceit, including their continued push to market the drug in spite of the company's early knowledge that Oxycontin was dangerously addictive.
Author Barry Meier, also a former NY Times reporter, joined Armstrong & Getty to talk about his book, "Pain Killer".