Founder of Binghamton’s TruthPharm Testifies Before Congress

The founder of the local support group for individuals and families affected by substance abuse is in the national spotlight.

Alexis Pleus, the founder of TruthPharm provided video testimony this week concerning the loss of her son to overdose to a Congressional committee hearing on the contribution of Purdue Pharma and the owners: the Sackler family, to the national opioid addiction crisis.

In a news release, Pleaus says David Sackler admitted to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform that Oxycontin was more potent than morphine. The family disputed it knew about doctors wrongfully prescribing pain killers that many times lead to deadly addictions.

Pleus says she was grateful to share her son, 28-year-old Jeffrey Dugon's story but it was hard to reduce his life "into less than 60 seconds of testimony."

The Binghamton advocate was invited to provide testimony by the activist group Prescription Addiction Intervention Now or "P.A.I.N".

Groups are seeking damages from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family to go toward addiction reduction and recovery.