The Champion of Pain Killers

Overdoses from painkillers now kill nearly 15,000 people a year and many experts doubt that they are effective in reducing long term pain. Yet a new investigation by Pro Publica, also published in the Washington Post, finds that an influential champion for painkillers is the American Pain Foundation, the nation’s largest advocacy group for pain patients. But 90% of the Foundation’s 2010 income came from the drug and medical device industry and its positions closely follow those of its corporate donors.