The Opioid Epidemic: Fixing a Broken Pharmaceutical Market

The authors analyze the US opioid epidemic through the lens of pharmaceutical market failures, examining how the intersection of aggressive manufacturer marketing, inadequate regulatory oversight of off-label promotion, and misaligned prescriber incentives contributed to widespread opioid misuse and abuse that prompted President Obama to request $1.1 billion for treatment access. They propose market-based reforms addressing the pharmaceutical supply chain to complement the $1 billion in state funding authorized by the 21st Century Cures Act.