Interesting and well-sourced article on the continuing saga of the CDC’s opioid guidelines and the conflicts of interest of the Core Expert Group.
The article is titled, Dysfunction, Lobbying, and Conflict of Interest in the Debate Over Opioids and here’s one quote to whet your appetite:
“I’m sure everyone on the committee is an expert, but you need to have a variety of opinions, otherwise why even bother having the meeting in the first place,” said Pitts, whose responsibilities at the FDA included overseeing the formation of FDA’s advisory committees. Referring to PROP’s role in creating the guidelines, Pitts said, “When you basically take one group that is considered the opioid lunatic fringe and allow them to create the basis of your policy almost verbatim is inexcusable. It’s bad policy. It’s bad science. It’s poorly serving the public health.”
The complete article is well worth a read.
