Under threat of lawsuit and with the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans on their hands, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, announced that it has slashed its staff by 100 people and will no longer market the drug to physicians. The damage, however, has already been done, with years of advertising and millions of dollars spent in furtherance of their bottom line regardless of the price. This is more than a bitter pill to swallow for the millions of Americans and their families who have been struggling with addiction and the consequences of a market oversaturated with cheap and dangerous drugs.

Big Pharma is responding to the opioid epidemic they helped manufacture by slashing their advertising budgets. If Purdue Pharma were serious about helping to end the opioid crisis, it would make a substantial investment in prevention, treatment and recovery services, so that states like New York, struggling to keep pace with a growing crisis, would be better resources to fight for the lives of our people. Anything less is spin.