UN health agency to remove controversial opioid guidelines

By Claire Galofaro The Associated Press

6 years ago

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2018 file photo, family and friends who lost loved ones to opioid overd ... — FILE – In this Aug. 17, 2018 file photo, family and friends who lost loved ones to opioid overdoses protest outside the headquarters of Purdue Pharma, maker of the maker of painkiller OxyContin, in Stamford, Conn. The World Health Organization notified U.S. lawmakers Wednesday, June 19, 2019, that it will discontinue two publications on opioid painkiller prescribing, in response to allegations that the pharmaceutical industry influenced the reports. The pledge to remove the guidelines – viewed around the world as best practices in public health – comes a month after U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark and Hal Rogers accused the WHO of being influenced by Purdue. The lawmakers’ report claimed the guidelines were crafted by organizations with financial ties to the company, who worked to downplay risks addiction and overstate the benefits of opioids. Purdue has denied the allegations. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

The World Health Organization has notified U.S. lawmakers that it will discontinue two publications on prescribing opioid painkillers in response to allegations that the pharmaceutical industry influenced the reports.

The pledge to remove the guidelines comes a month after U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark and Hal Rogers accused the WHO of being influenced by Purdue Pharma, the American manufacturer of OxyContin.

The lawmakers’ report claimed the guidelines were crafted by organizations with financial ties to the company, which worked to downplay the addiction risks and overstate the benefits of opioids.

Purdue has denied the allegations.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, wrote to Clark and Rogers on Wednesday, saying that the guidelines would be removed in “light of new scientific evidence that has emerged.”