Chicago reaches deal with Pfizer to disclose addiction risks in opioid marketing

As part of an agreement with the city of Chicago, Pfizer will implement a written code of conduct to disclose the risks of opioid use when promoting its medications to both patients and physicians.

Specifically, the city said the world’s second-largest drug company has agreed to disclose the risk of addiction to opioids—even when used as directed—and won’t promote unapproved uses of the painkillers, such as treating lower back pain. Marketing materials will also acknowledge the lack of research on opioids’ effectiveness past 12 weeks, and the company will fund programs to educate individuals on the risks and signs of opioid addiction.

The agreement came about as part of a 2014 lawsuit filed by the city against five pharmaceutical companies, alleging they “misrepresented the benefits of opioids and concealed the serious health risks.” Pfizer wasn’t one of the companies sued and it only markets only one opioid, Embeda, but the city said it has helped with the investigation by providing documents and other evidence.

“This landmark agreement is a big step in the right direction to help protect and educate the public about the true risks and benefits of highly potent and highly addictive painkillers,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement.  “The use of these drugs has led to a dramatic rise in drug addiction, overdose and diversion in communities across the nation, including in Chicago. Pfizer’s cooperation is proof that companies can act responsibly. We will continue our fight to force other companies to end their irresponsible practices and be held accountable for their deceptive actions that cause serious damage to individuals, families and neighborhoods and has helped fuel the heroin epidemic in Chicago.”

Pfizer and the city emphasized the agreement carries no suggestion that Pfizer’s own marketing had been misleading.

“The voluntary agreement between Pfizer and the city of Chicago arose in connection with the city's recent efforts to combat opioid abuse, a goal the company fully supports,” Pfizer spokesperson Allyanna Anglim said in a statement.

Opioid addiction has become a major problem in Chicago and the state of Illinois. An August 2015 report from the Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy found Chicago ranked no. 1 among major U.S. cities for emergency department mentions of heroin use in 2011, with a total of 23,627, nearly double the number of the more-populous New York City (12,015).

Data from the Illinois Department of Public Health showed overdose deaths blamed on prescription opioids increased from only two in 2011 to 119 in 2014.