Updated September 2007 - Only days after agreeing to pay
$20
million in civil penalties to 26 states and the District of Columbia,
Connecticut-based pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma settled a 4-year
investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding the marketing of
OxyContin. Under the terms of the settlement, Purdue will pay over $600 million
in fines, including $470 million to various government agencies and $130
million to resolve private civil liabilities, as well as maintain the company’s
internal abuse and diversion program for OxyContin. As part of the settlement,
some of Purdue’s executive officers, specifically President and Chief Operating
Officer Michael Friedman, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Howard Udell and former Executive Vice President of Worldwide Medical Affairs
Paul Goldenheim, will collectively pay over $34.5 million in fines, as well as
each plead guilty to a single misdemeanor charge for misbranding the drug
OxyContin.
Moreover,
Purdue Frederick Company, a subsidiary of Purdue Pharma, entered a guilty plea
to a single felony charge for misbranding, in which the company made claims
that OxyContin was less addictive and less likely to be abused than other
prescription painkillers. Observers such as the Corporate Crime Reporter in
Washington, D.C., a consumer advocate group, insist that Purdue Frederick’s
guilty plea was a legal tactic used to shield Purdue Pharma from criminal
charges, thereby allowing the primary company to continue to do business with
the government through programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Despite the
settlement, Purdue Pharma maintains that there is no connection between the
allegations in the misbranding plea agreement and the abuse or divergence of
OxyContin. Purdue contends that their executives "neither engaged in nor
tolerated the misconduct at issue in this investigation", and they admit
guilt only for the reason that “high-level officials” can be held responsible
for the illegal acts of employees. In an official statement, the drug company
admits that prior to July 2001, its employees made, or told other employees to
make false statements about OxyContin “related to the risks of addiction,
abuse, withdrawal, and tolerance compared to other pain medications.” Purdue’s
statement, however, goes on to claim that the company “took steps to prevent
any misstatements in the marketing or promotion of OxyContin and to correct any
such misstatements” as soon as it became aware of them.
Contrarily,
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee said that “Purdue unleashed a highly abusable, addictive,
and potentially dangerous drug on an unsuspecting and unknowing public”,
despite prior warnings that Purdue received from the media, doctors, and even
some of their own sales group. Brownlee added, "For these
misrepresentations and crimes, Purdue and its executives have been brought to
justice." OxyContin is one of the leading painkillers sold today, with
$9.6 billion in retail U.S. sales from 2000 through 2006. The settlement does
not limit or restrict Purdue from manufacturing and selling OxyContin, and the
company will continue to receive full benefits from federal insurance programs
like Medicare.
OxyContin is a narcotic
analgesic
used to relieve pain. Purdue Pharma manufactures OxyContin. The drug has helped
thousands of chronic pain sufferers live more normal lives.
The drug is
very popular on the black market because it produces a euphoric high seldom
achieved with illicit drugs. Critics of OxyContin are alarmed with the increasing
numbers of patients who have become addicted to the drug. Often such
addictions lead to
accidental deaths from
overdoses.
Some critics, including a Virginia physician, have called for a ban of
OxyContin.
In 2007, the
Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Division of Public Health
Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, conducted a longitudinal
Adverse Events Reporting System Review of the U.S.
FDA's
most dangerous drugs. The study found oxycodone to be the most
dangerous drug on the market with the highest number of suspect drug
deaths. Over the eight years of the study, oxycodone was by far the most
lethal drug on the market and was involved in over 5,500 deaths in the eight year period.
See your
doctor if you are addicted to OxyContin or if you have experienced serious side
effects associated with the drug. In addition, it may be important to
contact an attorney who can
help you protect your legal rights. Please keep in mind that there may be
time limits within
which you must commence suit.
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See Also
- Painkillers: Overview
- Addiction: Overview
- Overdose: Overview
- OxyContin: Frequently Asked Questions