oxycontin. Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family… If you’ve devoured the Painkiller series like many Netflix subscribers, then these words are familiar to you. The platform’s latest hit tells the story of the opioid crisis that hit the United States a few years ago and continues to wreak havoc today.
After watching the series, it is quite logical to wonder if OxyContin was sold in France and if so, how our country implemented measures to prevent the same crisis as across the Atlantic.
orderly maintenance
OxyContin is a strong anti-inflammatory (like fentanyl or morphine) that helps reduce physical pain. Derived from oxycodone, it is “indicated for the treatment of severe pain that can be adequately treated only with strong opioid analgesics; Especially with cancer pain“, we can read in the public drug database.
Yes, OxyContin is available in France, but its use is regulated and strictly controlled, as the pharmacists’ order explains: “As for the conditions of issuance, it must be a safe prescription, which, except in special cases, must be presented within 3 days of establishment. In addition, the duration of treatment with a single prescription cannot exceed 28 days.
It should show:
- Pharmacy seal
- Prescription registration number
- Date of execution
- Supplied quantity in dosage units
And when registering, you must specify:
- Subscriber’s name and address
- Patient’s name and address
- The name and address of the owner of the prescription, when the latter is not a patient, and if he is not known to the pharmacist, references to his identity document.
- Release Date
- drug name
- quantity supplied
Finally, for safety reasons, a copy of the prescription should be kept for 3 years.
It should be noted that the doctor must systematically inform his patient about the treatment and its discontinuation and monitor its consumption in order to avoid the slightest risk.
In France, the situation is different for several reasons, as explained by the ANSM (National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products), in a 50-page report published in February 2019:It is not the same, as the conditions for prescribing, dispensing, reimbursement, and information for health care professionals and the general public for opioid analgesic treatment differ from those in the United States.“.
As Painkiller shows, Purdue Pharma hired salespeople to go door-to-door with doctors to promote Oxycontin and offer them small gifts (such as soft toys with the company’s name on them). Therefore, the practice is prohibited in France.
Purdue Pharma Vendors in Pain Relief
A disturbing development
Last May, the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics published an article on its website warning against increasing the use of oxycodone in pain management: “In France, its involvement in toxic deaths caused by painkillers quadrupled between 2013 and 2017. In 2017, if morphine was still the 3rd most used opioid pain reliever in France, it was closely followed by oxycodone, which is increasing dramatically (+738% since 2006). ), both in the city and in the hospital“.
More dangerous than morphine for the same effect, oxycodone is a concern for several reasons. Its more significant and long-lasting dopaminergic action than morphine may be associated with a more “addictive” profile. In other words, by being closer to dopamine, also known as the pleasure molecule, oxycodone is more addictive than any other opiate.
An aspect rightly brought up in the series, especially in this thought-provoking scene from episode 1, in which Richard Sackler (Matthew Broderick) wants to “escape pain to achieve pleasure” in marketing his product.
This opioid is not only of concern to the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, but also to the ANSM. If their study agrees with the increase in the use of analgesics in France, he recalls that this is part of the “A policy to improve pain management, particularly through the Ministry’s pain management plans, has been in place since 1998.“. But. The agency points to the dangers of abuse and its use as part of non-cancer treatment, which should be monitored and which is ongoing.
Useful sources:
Medication sheet: https://base-donnees-publique.medicaments.gouv.fr/displayDoc.php?specid=61200108&typedoc=R
Article from the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics: https://sfpt-fr.org/pharmacofact-blog/1828-f012-l%E2%80%99increase-de-l%E2%80%99utilisation-de-l%E2%80%99oxycodone-in-the- pain management
ANSM Report on the Use and Problematic Use of Opioid Analgesics: https://ansm.sante.fr/actualites/antalgiques-opioides-lansm-publie-un-etat-des-lieux-de-la-consommation-en-france
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
