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Bakkoda t1_j2a7lky wrote

Correct me if I am wrong here please. I work in this field but not in a way where I would know these answers. When these pharmaceutical companies get their quota of API it's approved by the DEA correct? All of this is regulated strictly. The government knows exactly how much API these companies are asking for and getting. How is it they get to play dumb in these sort cases? I understand the companies should pay the fines and such but it's all approved by the government. Or am I wildly off base here?

EDIT: API = Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient AKA your morphine sulfate, oxycodone hydrochloride, etc

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confusedguy1221 t1_j2ci0xf wrote

No, you're right. In the years 2014 through 2018, pharmaceutical companies overproduced Opioids, and did so in guidance with DEA quotas. In other words, the DEA knowingly overshot their estimates and therefore contributed to an abundance of opioids in those years. It's insane.

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MeltingMandarins t1_j2dsvrj wrote

They’re not in trouble for making X amount of drugs.

They’re in trouble for not reporting outlier pharmacies (that seemed to be ordering far more than opiates other pharmacies).

But also, the quota system doesn’t work like you’re thinking. They just tell you to wind down production after demand decreases for whatever reason (e.g., new competitor drug that’ll reduce demand for the old one or tighter prescribing rules that limit access.) They don’t artificially limit supply to be less than demand.

Imagine if they did. Now there’s a shortage. Who can’t get access? The honest consumer, who’s using a reputable doc and pharmacy? Or the addict who’ll put whatever legwork required to get their fix?

Targeting supply via quotas would be an incredibly blunt weapon. You’d have to hurt a lot of innocent consumers before you started having an effect on addiction.

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/debunking-the-myths-of-controlled-substance-quotas

So what they were trying to do was find/target specific outliers who were overprescribing. Manufacturers (and pharmacies) are getting sued for not co-operating with that attempt.

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