in training she was given a term for this, pseudoaddiction. >>> did this concept of pseudoaddiction come with studies backing it up? >> we had no studies. we actually -- we did not have any studies. that's the thing that wd of disturbing was that we didn't haveas k studies to present to doctors. >> reporter: you know how that sounds? >> i know. i was naive. >> reporter: a 2015 study published in current addiction reports found no empirical evidence to support pseudoaddiction as a diagnosis. in a statement this cbs news purdue said it is confident that oxycontin sales had been consistent with the information contained in the fda approved label. but the word pseudoaddiction doesn't appear on oxycontin's label. and a spokesperson for the fda said the labeling is not intended as a discussion of pseudoaddiction. >> i reject any notion that there is science behind pseudoaddiction. >> reporter: oklahoma attorney general mike hunter is one of two dozen ags suing purdue and other opioid manufacturers. many of the lawsuits mention pseudoaddiction. >>> do you think this is an epidemic that begins w

many of the lawsuits mention pseudoaddiction. do you think this is an epidemic that begins with purdue pharma phd oxycontin? >> yes. >> reporter: that's the start of it all? of yes. >> reporter: carol panara, who quit in 2013, said she hopes the drug maker is held accountable. do you regret the five years you spent with purdue pharma? >> i'm going sum it up and say this: i think that was one of the, if not the worst career decision of my life. >> reporter: between 2006 and 2010 as this pseudoaddiction t ncept was being used, n ycontin sales more than tripled to an all-time high. ead, jeff, one year later, the c.d.c. officially declared opioid pain killer overdoses an epidemic. >> glor: pseudoaddiction. boggles the mind. thank you. coming up next on the cbs evening news, why a supreme court ruling means tens of millions of online shoppers could be paying a lot more. ine shoppers could be paying a lot more. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats psoriasis differently. with otezla,

in training, she was given a term for this: "pseudoaddiction."id this concept of pseudoaddiction come with studies backing it up? >> we had no studies. we, actually... we did not have any studies. that's the thing that was kind of disturbing was that we didn't have studies to present to the doctors. >> reporter: you know how that sounds? s i know. 2.. i was naive. >> reporter: a 2015 study published in "current addiction reports" found no empirical evidence to support pseudoaddiction as a diagnosis. in a statement to cbs news, purdue said it is confident that oxycontin sales have been consistent with the information contained in the f.d.a.-approved thel. but the word "pseudoaddiction" doesn't appear on oxycontin's label, and a spokesperson for ede f.d.a. said the labeling is not intended as a discussion of pseudoaddiction. >> i reject any notion that there's science behind pseudoaddiction. >> reporter: oklahoma attorney general mike hunter is one of two dozen a.g.s suing purdue and other opioid manufacturers. many of the lawsuits mention rs.udoad