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Massachusetts Attorney General Implicates (Sackler) Family Behind Purdue Pharma


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Massachusetts Attorney General Implicates (Sackler) Family Behind Purdue Pharma In Opioid Deaths

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/01/16/685692474/massachusetts-attorney-general-implicates-family-behind-purdue-pharma-in-opioid-

 

Some may ask, how are the Sackler Family & Opioids related to benzos in the news?

 

"Through direct marketing to physicians during the 1960s, he (Arthur Sackler) popularized dozens of medicines including Betadine, Senaflax, Librium, and Valium...He became a publisher and started a weekly medical newspaper in 1960, the Medical Tribune, which eventually reached six hundred thousand physicians...Critics of the Sackler family and Purdue contend that the same marketing techniques used when Arthur consulted to pharmaceutical companies selling non-opioid medications were later abused in the marketing of Oxycontin by his brothers and his nephew, Richard Sackler, contributing to the opioid epidemic...Psychiatrist Allen Frances told the New Yorker, “Most of the questionable practices that propelled the pharmaceutical industry into the scourge it is today can be attributed to Arthur Sackler.”

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_M._Sackler

 

Purdue Pharma not only made $Billions$ from Oxycontin but, the company continues to profit by reformulating a medication to counteract the addictive effects from the medicine which made them billionaires: "In 2018, Purdue Pharma patented a new form of buprenorphine, which controls cravings and is used to treat addiction to opioids such as OxyContin."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Pharma

 

"In a new 274-page memorandum, Attorney General Maura Healey details a chain of command that she alleges implicates eight Sackler family members, as well as nine Purdue board members or executives, in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic."

 

https://d279m997dpfwgl.cloudfront.net/wp/2019/01/Mass_AGO_Pre-Hearing_Memo_and_Exhibits.pdf

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PBS News Hour January 20, 2019 5:06pm EST

 

2:36

 

“ There were also documents in here—or I should say part of the filing—that included them (the Sackler family through Purdue Pharma) trying to have an influence on both academia and hospitals... How did they do this? “

 

“ Well this has been part of the strategy for the company, I should say not just Purdue but many companies, Perdue really has excelled at it, and the Sacklers have. Uh, in terms of, first of all influencing doctors... Alright, so there’s all kinds of relationships they have with doctors, uh they, realized early on that a doctor’s more likely to prescribe a new drug if it’s another doctor recommending it. I thought of it almost as putting an athlete on a box of Wheaties... right(?) you listen to the people you trust, your peers. So they started paying doctors, they funded research. So you get this crazy situation in which you’re a physician and I’m a physician and I come to tell you about this new drug, I’m paid by the drug company... I show you a study that’s been done on the drug, which was also paid for by the drug company... we have this conversation over an expensive steak dinner... uhh, at a nice resort in Florida, and we’re all getting sent there by the drug company. One of the statistics in this finding was, uh, Perdue’s budget just for food bought for physicians who prescribe opioids every year, was nine million dollars a year... “

 

Edited to add a “y” on “every” in the last sentence (above.)

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Purdue Pharma not only made $Billions$ from Oxycontin but, the company continues to profit by reformulating a medication to counteract the addictive effects from the medicine which made them billionaires: "In 2018, Purdue Pharma patented a new form of buprenorphine, which controls cravings and is used to treat addiction to opioids such as OxyContin."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purdue_Pharma

 

Unbelievable.  And watch this to hear about their "pseudoaddiction" sales spiel.  Evil, evil, evil!  How's it possible that some people have no conscience at all?

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oxycontin-maker-receives-patent-for-drug-to-treat-opioid-addiction/

 

 

 

 

 

Psychiatrist Allen Frances told the New Yorker, “Most of the questionable practices that propelled the pharmaceutical industry into the scourge it is today can be attributed to Arthur Sackler.”

 

 

And speaking of evil and unconscionable behavior and the absolute ultimate in hypocrisy.  This evil specimen of a human being, Allen Frances is truly a psychopath.  For those who may not be aware, he and two of his colleagues, whilst he was Chairman of the DSM, was secretly in cahoots with Johnson & Johnson creating marketing materials for their antipsychotic, Risperdal, with the goal of getting as many kids as possible diagnosed and labeled and put on Respirdal.  They received payment of a million dollars from J&J. 

 

This all came to light in a separate court case involving J&J, just Google "Allen Frances Risperdal".  All his actual correspondence out in the open for all to see.  And yet, he was never charged, didn't even receive a slap on the wrist, nothing.  No apology from him to this day, nor even an acknowledgment of his eager participation in the "scourge".  Instead, now he's portraying himself as Mr. Morals, expressing contempt at the wrongdoing of all others, blaming everyone else for the sordid state of affairs ... except not himself.  And he gets away with it.  What a psycho.  What a strange, sad, world we live in. >:(

 

Thanks for the share, Fi, I also missed this one.

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Purdue Pharma to Downplay Opioids, Dump 50% of Sales Staff ...

 

https://www.thestreet.com/story/14484493/1/purdue-pharma-shift-marketing-push-to-nonopioids-dumps-sales-staff.html

 

"Feb 12, 2018 - As lawsuits tied to the opioid crisis keep piling up, Purdue Pharma is ... Instead, the sales reps will push Purdue's nonopioid products, such ...."

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Meanwhile, "Mexican drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzmán is found guilty on all counts."

 

Where is the justice? ... Pharmaceutical companies apparently responsible for 10's of thousands of unnecessary deaths every year from 'legal' opioid sales vs. drug cartels operating in the same business with 'illegal' opioid sales.    :idiot:

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"Opioid Litigation Brings Company Secrets Into The Public Eye"

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/13/702665619/opioid-litigation-brings-company-secrets-into-the-public-eye

 

imo, successfully prosecuting civil charges and publicizing unscrupulous marketing/other tactics is fine and good but, what is lacking in this whole sorted affair is not prosecuting the criminality of Pharma owners, CEO's & regulatory Agencies for 'pushing' lethal dosages of opioids on unsuspecting victims.  :(

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Purdue Pharma Agrees to $270 Million Settlement in Oklahoma Opioid Case

By Reuters

March 26, 2019

 

https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/03/26/business/26reuters-usa-opioids-litigation.html

 

"A multimillion-dollar settlement in the nation's deadliest drug crisis brought no relief to Jodi Barber, whose 19-year-old son died of a prescription drug overdose. He became addicted to painkillers after breaking his collarbone."

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Around 2003, when I first started using opioids, Oxycontin sealed my fate and I just couldn't get enough. The first time I tried them, I had a few white 10mg round pills. I snorted them and it gave me a high that I would continue to chase for years eventually leading me to try heroin for the first time. They were so readily available back then and everybody wanted them. Also, when dealers would be running low, they would overcharge for them and start bidding wars amongst other addicts. People were paying as much as $125 for a single 80mg Oxycontin green pill. I usually payed $80 for them or one dollar per milligram, which is why I started using heroin. I don't put complete blame on Purdue Pharma for my addiction but I wonder now if I would of ever tried heroin if those pills weren't flooding the streets. If anyhing it probably just accelerated things but who knows. They produced a euphoria that rivaled the heroin on the streets as well. Satans Skittles are green 80mg Oxycontin's.
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"New York Lawsuit Claims Sackler Family Illegally Profited From Opioid Epidemic"

 

https://www.npr.org/2019/03/28/707722556/new-york-lawsuit-claims-sackler-family-illegally-profited-from-opioid-epidemic

 

"New York state Attorney General Letitia James leveled the fiercest legal broadside yet against the Sackler family, owners of the privately-held Purdue Pharma which makes the powerful prescription painkiller Oxycontin.

 

A civil suit filed Thursday accuses eight members of the family of personally contributing to the deadly opioid epidemic, which has killed more than 200,000 Americans over the last two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

At a press conference, James described the Sacklers as "masterminds" of an illegal scheme that "literally profited off of the suffering and death" of New Yorkers and others around the U.S.

 

"This lawsuit contains detailed allegations about the Sackler family and their attempt to hide the vast fortunes they collected at the expense of actual lives," she added.

 

State officials hope to force the Sacklers to forfeit some of that wealth — estimated as high as $13 billion, according to Forbes — to help pay the cost of curbing the addiction epidemic that still claims more than 130 lives every day."

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"New York's 251-page suit claims to offer new details of how the Sacklers serving on Purdue's board pushed year after year to boost the sale and consumption of their powerful opioid medications, reaping huge profits even as evidence mounted that the drugs posed a deadly risk.

 

State officials claim they then squeezed the company, funneling billions of dollars out of its coffers into a complex network of trusts, subsidiaries and private off-shore accounts.

 

"We allege that the family has illicitly transferred funds from Purdue to personal trusts, so that they are potentially outside the reach of law enforcement and our efforts to seek restitution," James said.

 

This suit is the latest indication of a profound reversal of fortune for the Sacklers, who once ranked among the wealthiest and most respected families in America. Known primarily as first-rank philanthropists, they supported institutions ranging from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to the Louvre in Paris."

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RICO?

 

Edit:

 

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO):

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act

 

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"CT files new allegations against Purdue, Sacklers in opioid lawsuit"

 

https://ctmirror.org/2019/04/22/ct-files-new-allegations-against-purdue-sacklers-in-opioid-lawsuit/

 

"Connecticut stepped up its legal fight with Purdue Pharma Monday, adding new defendants, a new charge and new allegations of wrongdoing by the Sackler family to a complaint that says the company and its wealthy owners promoted deadly opioid addiction.

 

The amended lawsuit, which was initially filed in December, says Stamford-based Purdue, the maker of OxyContin and other addictive pain relievers, and the Sacklers told doctors addiction was “not caused by drugs,” but instead was the result of “susceptible individuals.” Purdue said  “appropriate” patients would not get addicted, the lawsuit said.

 

The new filing also expands on Purdue’s tactics to maximize the sale of its opioids by pushing doctors to prescribe higher and higher doses.

 

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said the  new allegations “demonstrate the callous indifference” with which Purdue Pharma and its executives, especially former company president Richard Sackler, approached their work.

 

“They pursued profits – financial gain – over the incredible and frankly, immeasurable, human toll and human cost of the opioid and addiction crisis,” Tong said.

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The amended lawsuit also addresses Purdue Pharma’s threats to declare bankruptcy to avoid what could be billions of dollars in court judgments, as nearly 2,000 cities – including dozens in Connecticut — and 34 states have sued the pharmaceutical company over its sale of opioids.

 

The amended lawsuit said Purdue funneled billions of dollars to the Sacklers from the sale of opioids — at least $700 million a year from 2010 to 2020 — which the state is attempting to “claw back” to pay court judgments or settlements. It also adds a new charge – the fraudulent transfer of funds.

 

The money to the Sacklers was routed through other Purdue companies, including Purdue Holdings L.P., PLP Associates Holdings L.P., Rosebay Medical Company, L.P., and Beacon Company.  Those companies and their executives are now new defendants in the suit.

 

Other defendants include Richard Sackler, Jonathan Sackler, Mortimer D.A. Sackler, Kathe Sackler, Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, Beverly Sackler, David Sackler and Theresa Sackler. The lawsuit also names former CEOs John Stewart and Mark Timney as defendants.

 

“We will not allow Purdue Pharma to cry poverty after illegally transferring hundreds of millions of dollars to members of the Sackler family—unearned funds these individuals reaped as Connecticut families suffered,” Tong said.

 

Tong also said Purdue and its executives and owners knew “by the latest 2007 and probably earlier,” that they were liable for the addictive qualities of their products because they pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges in 2007.

 

“So they were on notice that we were going to hold them responsible or someone was going to hold them responsible for the tremendous financial cost of the addiction crisis fueled in part by Purdue Pharma and its owners and executives, and with that notice … they took billions of dollars out of the company, which were looted and siphoned into trusts and entities controlled by individual defendants, including members of the Sackler family,” Tong said.

 

Last month, Purdue and the Sacklers reached their first settlement on an opioid case, agreeing to pay Oklahoma a $270 million settlement.

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While many have sued Purdue, Connecticut was the first state, after Massachusetts, to also sue the Sacklers and company executives. But more states are now also targeting the Sacklers, including New York, which last month amended its lawsuit against Purdue to charge the pharmaceutical company with fraudulently transferring money to the Sacklers despite knowing it faced major liabilities that would make it insolvent.

 

Connecticut’s lawsuit is based on a state law, the Connecticut Unfair Practices Act, which imposes a penalty of up to $15,000 a day on violators.

 

It details the economic cost of opioid addition in Connecticut, saying that in 2016 it topped more than $10.3 billion. That included $493 million in healthcare spending, and $144 million in costs associated with investigating and prosecuting crimes related to the epidemic.

 

Opioids were involved in a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017 in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

 

 

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"Opioid company executives found guilty of racketeering"

 

http://www.wfmz.com/news/cnn-national/opioid-company-executives-found-guilty-of-racketeering/1074746578

 

"(CNN) - Five top executives of Insys Therapeutics -- maker of Subsys, a version of the extremely powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl -- were found guilty Thursday on federal racketeering charges for bribing doctors to prescribe the painkiller to people who didn't need it. They were also convicted of defrauding Medicare and private insurance.

 

Andrew Lelling, US attorney for the district of Massachusetts, hailed the convictions as "the first successful prosecution of top pharmaceutical executives for crimes related to the illicit marketing and prescribing of opioids." The trial put on display sales tactics such as lap dances to lure doctors and a company vice president who dressed as a Subsys bottle and rapped during a company promo.

 

The jury took 15 days to reach its verdict against the executives, including founder and one-time billionaire John Kapoor.

 

"Just as we would street-level drug dealers, we will hold pharmaceutical executives responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic by recklessly and illegally distributing these drugs, especially while conspiring to commit racketeering along the way," Lelling said after Thursday's ruling.

 

Lelling hailed the verdict as a "landmark prosecution" and vindication against executives he said put greed ahead of the American public.

 

"These executives exploited vulnerable patients and cashed in on dishonest doctors by bribing them to prescribe one of the most powerful, addictive opioid painkillers to patients who should never have received it," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston division.

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Dozens of states are prepared to bring lawsuits by state attorneys general against major drugmakers, accusing them of aggressively marketing opioids and fueling the nation's opioid epidemic.

 

Oklahoma is set to become the first state to go to a jury trial, beginning May 28.

 

Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, agreed to pay $270 million to settle before the trial. The case moves ahead against the other defendants, Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan."

 

 

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