Purdue Pharma has reportedly received a patent for a medication to fight opioid addiction.
According to a report in The Financial Times, the drugmaker of OxyContin has developed a faster-acting form of buprenorphine, which is already use to help ease opioid withdrawal symptoms and curb cravings. The patent is for a wafer-form of the medication that dissolves in seconds.
One of the company’s board members, Richard Sackler, was named as an inventor on the patent.
The news has stirred up criticisms that the company that made billions from getting people hooked on opioids could now profit from treating their addiction. But the company reportedly called the Financial Times story “speculation.”
Purdue, meanwhile, continues to face a litany of lawsuits for its role in the opioid epidemic.
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