Claire McCaskill launches probe of opioid manufacturers’ role in epidemic

A Senate Democrat said Tuesday she is launching a wide-ranging investigation into prescription drug makers and their role in an opioid epidemic that is ravaging every corner of the nation.

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri said she requested sales and marketing information from the makers of the top-selling, opioid-based painkillers. She also demanded any company reports to government agencies, proof of donations to outside groups and internal analyses of how addictive their products can be.

Despite hyper-partisanship on Capitol Hill, members of both parties have sounded the alarm over the prescription drug and heroin epidemic that resulted in more than 30,000 overdose deaths in 2015 alone.

The problem affects every age group and ethnicity throughout the country, prompting Congress to pass legislation that bolsters treatment and the availability of overdose-reversing drugs.

Studies show that many of the addicts got hooked after they were legally prescribed an opioid. Members of Congress worry that companies push their products too hard or downplayed the risks of addiction.

Ms. McCaskill said companies that went too far should answer for their role in the epidemic.

“All of this didn’t happen overnight — it happened one prescription and marketing program at a time. The vast majority of the employees, executives, sales representatives, scientists, and doctors involved with this industry are good people and responsible actors, but some are not,” said Ms. McCaskill, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “This investigation is about finding out whether the same practices that led to this epidemic still continue today, and if decisions are being made that harm the public health.”