Increased marketing of opioids to doctors has been linked with a rise in prescriptions and overdose deaths by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. Their study found that, when opioid manufacturers built up relationships with doctors, there was a greater likelihood of more overdose deaths taking place. Marketing activities included drug companies paying doctors' travel and meal costs, as well as providing fees for consulting and speaking. The highest concentration of opioid marketing is in the northeast of the U.S., while the midwest has the lowest.
Increased marketing of opioids to doctors has been linked with a rise in prescriptions and overdose deaths by researchers at the NYU School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center. Their study found that, when opioid manufacturers built up relationships with doctors, there was a greater likelihood of more overdose deaths taking place. Marketing activities included drug companies paying doctors' travel and meal costs, as well as providing fees for consulting and speaking. The highest concentration of opioid marketing is in the northeast of the US, while the midwest has the lowest.