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An article on the science news website STAT details the ties between Purdue Pharma, which produces opioid painkillers such as OxyContin, and the medical school at Tufts University. The ties are currently under scrutiny in lawsuits and by Tufts itself, which has hired an outside investigator. Tufts and the company have denied wrongdoing. The article focuses not on a smoking gun, but on the ways the relationships create ethical issues.
"It does not appear as simple as Purdue buying positive research and messaging," the article quoted experts saying. "Instead, they said, the allegations get to the heart of knottier issues of money in medicine. So much industry money flows to academic institutions, professional societies, and patient advocacy organizations that it’s hard to tease apart what’s a purchase of influence and what’s a marriage of convenience for groups with aligned interests or beliefs."
