VOA慢速英语--普渡制药将对三项联邦刑事指控认罪

While the United States deals with COVID-19, another public health concern is being largely ignored: the crisis of opioid addiction¹. Opioid addiction has been linked to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over the past 20 years.

That may be about to change.

Purdue Pharma is the maker² of Oxycontin, a powerful painkiller³ at the center of America's opioid problem. The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that Purdue Pharma will plead guilty to federal criminal charges as part of an $8-billion legal settlement.

The deal does not free any of the company's officers or owners from legal action. The federal government is continuing to investigate the possibility of additional charges.

The settlement shows that the federal government will hold major drug makers⁴ responsible for the opioid addiction crisis.

Opioids are a class of drugs that can reduce pain. They include the illegal drug heroin⁵, man-made opioids such as fentanyl and pain relief medicines sold at drug stores. Patients can purchase such painkillers⁶ only under doctors' orders.

In 2020, the state of Ohio may have one of its deadliest years of opioid drug overdoses. More people died there from overdoses in May than in any month in at least 14 years. That information comes from the state's health department.

Ohio is considered critical to victory for candidates seeking to become president of the United States.

The problem of opioid addiction has also become an election campaign issue. Both President Donald Trump⁷ and former Vice⁸ President Joe Biden have talked about their personal connections to drug addiction.

Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has had problems with drugs. Trump's brother Fred was a life-long alcoholic⁹ before his death in 1999.

Early in his presidency¹⁰, Trump declared the opioid crisis a national health emergency.

In 2018, the president signed legislation to increase federal spending on opioid abuse to record levels. A Bipartisan Policy Center study found that federal spending to fight opioid addiction more than doubled in Trump's first full year in office. As part of that, federal treatment and recovery money increased by 300 percent.

But because of a shortage of medical specialists, states have not been able to spend all the money they received. Some states worry that the money will not continue, and programs would have to be cancelled, the report found.

The federal settlement comes less than two weeks before the presidential election. In the settlement, Purdue Pharma is admitting that it paid doctors to write more prescriptions¹² for Oxycontin. The company also admits it lied when it claimed to have an effective program to avoid the misuse¹³ of the drug. And Purdue admits it reported misleading information to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Ed Bisch lost his 18-year-old son to an OxyContin overdose nearly 20 years ago. He said he wants to see the company's officers face criminal charges.

"The fact that this doesn't grant anyone immunity¹⁴, I'm heartened by that," he said after the deal was announced.

Words in This Story

addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to have or do something (such as gamble)

plead – v. to say in court that you are either guilty or not guilty of a crime : to make a plea

overdose – n. an amount of a drug or medicine that is too much and usually dangerous

prescription¹¹ – n. a written message from a doctor that officially tells someone to use a medicine, therapy, etc.

immunity – n. special protection from what is required for most people by law — usually + from

1 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

6 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分

7 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

10 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

11 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

12 prescriptions   

药( prescription的名词复数 )； 处方； 开处方； 计划

参考例句：

• The hospital of traditional Chinese medicine installed a computer to fill prescriptions. 中医医院装上了电子计算机来抓药。
• Her main job was filling the doctor's prescriptions. 她的主要工作就是给大夫开的药方配药。

13 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

14 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。