Taggart McGurrin Challenges Pharma's Approach To Pain - Is The Industry Learning From The Opioid Crisis?
The epidemic has burdened communities, destroyed families, and led to a nationwide economic burden of more than $1.02 trillion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Author:Daniel JamesReviewer:Karan EmeryNov 12, 2024363 Shares25.9K Views
The United States judicial system has found Big Pharma liable for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans and the addictions of millions more. The epidemic has burdened communities, destroyed families, and led to a nationwide economic burden of more than $1.02 trillion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With all the country's challenges in managing the crisis, can a new pharmaceutical company fix it?
Tagg McGurrinlikes to think so.
Trained in law and finance, the pharmaceutical startup executive believes that a new kind of drug can upend the status quo that has already wrecked too many lives—including in his own family.
His close ties to the realities of opioids initially led McGurrin to keep away from the sector. But when he realized he could use his skills to provide patients with another option for pain management, he joined the fight. The deeper he looked into the pain management business, the more opportunitieshe saw.
“At first, I was like, no, opioids are awful. Because you see people becoming zombies when they're on narcotics, and it takes away their ability to function and live. And that's not the idea with pain. Pain has been around since the beginning of time. It's not going anywhere. And it should never have been something that became like, oh, we're going to eliminate all pain. That's not the human experience,” he says.
“But, and I think this is something that I found profound as I started to do more research, you're trying to manage or treat the pain, not so that it goes away, but so that you can once again engage in activities you used to enjoy before this tremendous pain, whether it would be more acute or chronic. Which is a larger issue.”
How We Got Here
McGurrin provides a blunt critique of the pharmaceutical industry’s role in the opioid crisis, attributing much of the problem to bad actors.
“Initially, you're thinking opioids are bad because you hear the word, and it has a tarnished reputation,” he said. “And really, it comes down to what all bad things come down to - greed. You have greedy people within the industry with all different professional backgrounds and areas of discipline, doctors, salespeople, executives, etc..”
So far, the courts have fined companies like Purdue Pharma billions of dollars for their role in the opioid crisis. The funds have been put to use to fund addiction treatment centers and help families who lost loved ones. But many believe the punishments haven’t gone far enough.
For McGurrin, the solution must involve a fundamental rethinking of pain itself. Opioids started to become widely used because they helped eliminate pain. But pain is an unavoidable part of life, and the goal of pharmaceuticals shouldn’t be to eliminate pain. The goal should be to manage it effectively.
“It's getting people back to what they like to do and what they need to do to feel that their lives are fulfilled,” he says. “And so I think that ultimately it's back to how do we develop pain medication that manages to what the individual's experiencing and what they want to get back to without stripping them of their cognitive abilities.
It’s key to set the expectation that pain may be something you will experience from here onward. I've had chronic back pain for years and years now, but I’ve educated myself and understand how to manage the pain without cognitive impairment. The pharmaceutical industry, the doctors, you look at chiropractors, it's an amalgamation of things that can, relatively speaking, bring you back to where you were before the pain started.”
How Tagg McGurrin Moves Forward
McGurrin’s work has focused on developing non-opioid analgesics—drugs that manage pain without the addictive properties of opioids. But it’s not easy. Developing safe, effective alternatives requires navigating a sea of scientific, regulatory, and commercial challenges and piecing together a team with the expertise to manage it.
Even once the team is in place and the development work begins, compelling pharmaceutical startups face another hurdle: managing investor expectations.
“The pharmaceutical industry is extraordinarily complex. There are so many different facets to it. You need to have people there, 100% driven and onboard for the task at hand, and that's what investors would and should expect,” McGurrin says.
“There's got to be a clear mission with annual goals and objectives. How does a startup company come up with annual goals and objectives? Just do it, however dynamic initially, and set a few goals that align with your next value inflection points. They may be the only goals you can come up with, but having structure and the ability to review progress and say, what is it that we're going for, and what time do we have to get there? What are the investors’ expectations? What promises can we make?”
Of course, paying too much attention to money is largely factored into the current opioid epidemic. But McGurrin believes that a new breed of financiers - many who, like himself, have seen the devastation of opioids - can accept a vision of drug development that prioritizes patient well-being over profits.
“The bottom line starts and ends with thepharmaceutical industry'shuman impact on current and future patients,” he says. “And think about us when we were kids. I mean, my mother was bringing me vaccines and giving me medicine when I was a child. We entrusted other people to develop the drugs properly, the FDA to apply their regulatory authority, people to properly commercialize, doctors to properly prescribe these medications, etc...
So when you look at the human impact, you have to say, ‘Look, current and future patients depend on and entrust pharmaceutical leaders with their health and wellbeing, just the same way they entrust doctors and nurses with their health and wellbeing.’ Ultimately, investors win when patients win.”
Daniel James
Author
Daniel James is a distinguished gerontologist, author, and professional coach known for his expertise in health and aging.
With degrees from Georgia Tech and UCLA, including a diploma in gerontology from the University of Boston, Daniel brings over 15 years of experience to his work.
His credentials also include a Professional Coaching Certification, enhancing his credibility in personal development and well-being.
In his free time, Daniel is an avid runner and tennis player, passionate about fitness, wellness, and staying active.
His commitment to improving lives through health education and coaching reflects his passion and dedication in both professional and personal endeavors.
Karan Emery
Reviewer
Karan Emery, an accomplished researcher and leader in health sciences, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals, brings over two decades of experience to the table. Holding a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Stanford University, Karan's credentials underscore her authority in the field.
With a track record of groundbreaking research and numerous peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals, Karan's expertise is widely recognized in the scientific community.
Her writing style is characterized by its clarity and meticulous attention to detail, making complex scientific concepts accessible to a broad audience. Apart from her professional endeavors, Karan enjoys cooking, learning about different cultures and languages, watching documentaries, and visiting historical landmarks.
Committed to advancing knowledge and improving health outcomes, Karan Emery continues to make significant contributions to the fields of health, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.
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