Alex Scarbrough Fisher, Author at Administrative Law

City Sues Oxycontin Drugmaker: New Way to Combat Abuse of Prescription Drugs?

By Alex Scarbrough Fisher, February 28 2017

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In January, the L.A. Times reported that the city of Everett, Washington, prompted by the L.A. Times’ 2016 investigation (summarized here), filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, alleging that the company turned a blind eye to the criminal sale of Oxycontin in Everett while the company went on to “reap large and obscene profits.” The civil complaint, filed by Everett city lawyers, alleges that Purdue is guilty of gross negligence, creating a public nuisance, and that the company should pay the cost of handling the now severe opioid crisis in Everett, as well as punitive damages–figures that could run in the millions of dollars. This is a bold move on the part of a municipality, and the first of its kind (that I’m aware of) to take place against Purdue Pharma. Since federal regulators (FDA, DEA) have been unsuccessful in their efforts to curb the opioid epidemic in […]

A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction

By Alex Scarbrough Fisher, January 20 2017

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Maia Szalavitz’s book, “Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction” unearths new truths and challenges established societal and medical opinions on understanding and treating addiction. In light of the overwhelming public health crisis addiction has become, her ideas and theories are more salient now than ever. The main takeaways from “Unbroken Brain” include the following: 1. Addiction is best understood as a learning disorder. Addition as a learning disorder contains three critical components: (1) the behavior has a physiological purpose (to assist the brain/person cope in situations where he or she is either over OR under stimulated), (2) the specific learning pathways involved make it nearly automatic over time (particularly when an individual begins using a substance in adolescence), and (3) the behavior does not stop when it is no longer adaptive (i.e., use of a substance continues even when it no longer assists an individual with coping with over or under […]

You’ve Been Investigated by the Department of Health. Now What?

By Alex Scarbrough Fisher, December 13 2016

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In many states, an investigation into a healthcare provider’s license by the Department of Health may begin with a phone call, letter, or in-person meeting between a healthcare provider and a Department of Health investigator. While all individuals have a right to have an attorney present at an interview with a Department of Health investigator, most individuals may not realize they have this right until after the interview has passed. Which may leave you asking: what now? In Tennessee, once an individual has been investigated by the Department of Health, the Department of Health investigator will prepare an investigative report, composed of his or her findings, including all evidence he or she collected, and a summary of each individual he or she interviewed. This report will then be handed over to the attorney in the Department of Health Office of General Counsel. The attorney will review the investigative report in […]

Real Alternatives to Opioids for Pain Management

By Alex Scarbrough Fisher, October 18 2016

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Healthcare providers are aware of the current opioid epidemic in the United States, as well as the risks—both to the provider’s patients, and to the provider’s licensure—of prescribing opioids to patients for the management of chronic pain. So, what do we do about it? Healthcare providers know that opioids can be harmful to patients long-term, and harmful to providers who may face licensure discipline due to strict regulations surrounding the prescribing of narcotics. However, patients are still showing up at healthcare providers’ offices complaining of very real, chronic pain. How should healthcare providers address these patient concerns if they aren’t going to use opioids? Yoga. Yoga is scientifically proven to gradually loosen the muscles and connective tissues around bones and joints, bring oxygen and blood to cartilage, and increase blood flow to all cells in the body, improving their functionality. Although yoga can be expensive, depending on the city you live in and where […]

Oxycontin’s 12-Hour Problem: L.A. Times’ Investigation, and What Doctors and NPs Need to Know About Prescribing the Drug

By Alex Scarbrough Fisher, August 1 2016

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Earlier this summer, the L.A. Times reported on its investigation into Oxycontin, and the results aren’t pretty: the Times found that Oxycontin’s main selling point, that it lasts for 12 hours, is not supported by clinical research. In spite of this, the Times found overwhelming evidence indicating that not only did Purdue Pharma (the marker of Oxycontin) have knowledge of Oxycontin wearing off well before the 12-hour mark, Purdue intentionally repressed this knowledge from doctors, patients, and the FDA for the past 20 years. The L.A. Times investigation reports the following: Purdue Pharma submitted falsified research numbers to the FDA when they gained approval for Oxycontin in 1996, stating that the drug treats pain for 12 hours. The problem with Purdue’s claim is that Oxycontin only treats pain for roughly half that time. Purdue Pharma, despite continual feedback for the past 20 years from patients, doctors, and their own pharmaceutical reps that the […]