The role of pharmaceutical companies in the opioid epidemic has been reported widely and analyzed in minute detail. We know the basic story: Research for lifesaving medicines morphs into deep, institutionalized greed. There’s more to it than that story line, and a recent piece in The New York Times Book Review sums up some of the best work on the subject done to date. Check out the Dec. 17 “Prescribed Reading” column by Abigail Zuger for a compact summary of five books that belong on any shelf dedicated to understanding the opioid crisis.
