A $600M Slap On The Wrist
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| Photo: Cohdra |
This week the sentence was handed down to the top management executives of this powerful company. Is $634.5 million in fines and penalties, plus $130 million to close out their civil lawsuits, a slap on the wrist, or is it just punishment? I would like to read your opinion.
While I am waiting for your comments, let’s take a look at some of the facts around this issue:
Taken inappropriately (not as prescribed), OxyContin can kill. In 2002, according to the New York Times, the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency estimated that the number of deaths due to overdose of OxyContin was in the hundreds each year. (Purdue and the Food and Drug Administration were more cautious in their estimating, because of the difference in mission. The FDA regulates prescription medication while the DEA goes after illegal use of drug substances.)
According to National Institute on Drug Abuse director, Dr. Nora Volkow, over 48 million people have used prescription drugs for non medical use. Opioids, of which Oxycontin is one, are among the top 3 types of drugs that are taken for the wrong reason. The frequency of abuse of opoids by pain patients is estimated to be 4%, or 1 in 25 patients, according to the American Pain Society.
According to the New York Times, the drug maker Purdue made $2.8 billion during the years (1995-2001) it used fraudulent claims to sell Oxycontin. And now they have to pay a total of approximately $730 million to be done with this legal issue. That’s it. But the New York Times also said that the amount the company is required to pay represents 90% of their profit from the drug.
In case you are wondering, according to Purdue’s website, the drug will continue to be covered by health care programs that are paid for by the federal government.
How do you feel? Is $634.5 million in fines and penalties, plus $130 million to close out their civil lawsuits, a slap on the wrist, or is it just punishment? I would like to read your opinion, so please comment.
Comments
It seems like having to pay back 90% of the profits from this drug is an appropriate fiscal punishment. However, I think there should be some “moral” component to the judgement against this company. Withholding information that puts people at medical risk is tantamount to medical mispractice.
If executives were held accountable in the same way that medical practitioners are I think we would begin to see different behavior from these large corporations.
Misleading the public on the use of oxycontins safety should hold a higher price to pay.I take this medication for severe back pain but use it only as perscribed.It helps a great deal.the public should be told the truth about the danger of addiction.How many other medications are unsafe that we’re not told about…
Hi Anne, for a company thats first concern is “the bottom line” I don’t feel it’s anywhere near enough. Since it was premedicated and numerous persons died as a result.I feel that the penalty should “hurt the bottom line”. Also, the management personel should be proseculted for conspiracy and do some “hard time”. That would send a message to other companies that honesty in passing information to the public is worthwhile for several reasons, including avoiding prison.
Thanks for the opportunity to vent…
Gordon Reynolds
i was put on the 40mg of oxycotin, i had to have my daughter to get me off cause i didn’t no what i was doing. they woke me to eat and to take medication. and when she said i said something bad to her that was hurtful she said thats not my mom. so i went back and asked the receptionist if he could write me a script for darvocet. he sent it back and he had given me 60mg of the same drug, i sent it back for a third time and he sent it back and had increased it to 80mg 2times a day. i said forget it and walked out. i say its not alltogether the drug co. fault in a way it is for probably paying the dr. to give it to his patients. yes i could have died!!!!!! i was in on a big lawsuit and all i got was less than $2,000.00 a lot less. and what about the ones that did die. and u can’t break the pill into or it could overdose you. i was not told that and i started to but i heard that on the news.
so if i didn’t know how many others didn’t know either. AND AGAIN I SAY A SLAP ON THE WRIST IS NOT ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH WHAT WE(THE PATIENTS DID) NOW IF I WAS GETTING IT BECAUSE I WAS A DRUGGIE MAYBE I WOULD DESERVE IT BUT THEN YOU NEED TO STOP AND SAY WHO GOT THAT POOR KID IN THAT KIND OF FIX? NO WAY IS THAT ENOUGH THEY SHOULD AT LEAST HAVE LOST THE COMPANY OR SOMEOF THE HIGHER UPS SHOULD HAVE HAD SOME JAIL TIME AND A LOT OF IT. MARY, MS.
I have thought the rx drug oxycontyn was a great step forward on dealing
with “Chronic Pain” The attacks by govt. and the media over the past several years in my opinion are tragic. I have seen patients in pain clinics boast that they did not take the drug due to the drugs “bad reputation”.
Realisticly OC fits into a limited group of other “long acting opiod
medications” available to Chronic pain sufferers. To “demonise” is to take a
step back in the medical communities effort to treat pain. What else ?? The
other long acting opiod medications are equally addictive, so whats next and
after this outcome what drug manufacturer is going to try and develop the next pain reliever ???
I do know that many Pain Management Physicians have stopped writing rx`s for OC and have switched their patients to drugs like methadone, morphine and Duragesic … for no medical reason but to avoid scrutiny from the government and possible liscence revocation and/or prosecution.
I see this fine and consequencial legal actions as a BIG STEP backwards in
the treatment of chronic pain. WHY ?? because I have seen my treatment for
my chronic pain go from bad to worse.
I am in chronic pain 24/7 and was taking vicodin for 6yrs which is addictive as all the opiods..the ones that die from overdose are people usually kids that use it to get high not for medical reasons..I was put on it because the vicodin didn’t do anything for my chronic pain anymore because my condition got worse and I also have fibromyalgia along with spinal stenosis, which I can’t have surgery for because the 5 disc are so close and bone rubbing against bone.they cannot do surgery i had 6 epidurals with only 3 wks relief..i have degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, bulging disc, ankylo spondgylosis,hemoglobin which was caused by the epidurals..i tried the fentanyl patch which didn’t help..I was in pain management didn’t help..I was finally put on oxycontin and I do it as prescribed by physician..and I have no problem i can move and do the things i wasn’t able to do. at one point i needed help getting out of bed or off the couch, I am not overweight,I also have bursitis in my knees.so I don’t know why they are blaming the pharmaceutical company for people that abuse this drug do as prescribed and at least you’ll feel better and have quality of life back
i have used 40mg. oxycontin 2x daily for 6months, this has been a blessing. i have had three reconsructive spine surgery’s and suffer from intense chronic pain. the drug allows me to function without being altered and i have not needed to increase dosage or had any nasty side effects. people need to use the product correct and not look for a who do i blame when something goes wrong. to purdue pharmacy i thank you very much
this medication has helped me more than any of the BIG hospitals in the united states, i do not abuse this drug, and do not intend to. let us in pain better our life styles, by using this medication, to help us. leave this alone, and go on to something else. those in pain do not want to hear about the druggies using our wonderful life style help.
It began in 1989 with a back injury. Unfortunately, the cause of the pain has never been diagnosed. I went the first 10 - 12 years with no medication. Chiropractic treatments kept the worst of the pain in abeyance. I started with pain meds around 2001, tried a few basic ones. Voixx(?), T4’s and others. I thought I found the answer with oxy around 2003. I had used oxy for about 3 years for the control of chronic lower back pain. I switched to Fentanyl about 2 years ago when I realized the oxy level of 160mg/day was no longer working. The fentanyl patch I started on were 75’s and worked well but unfortunately have been failing to control the pain as recently as 3 weeks ago. Not sure where to go now, I will be seeing my doctor this week and we’ll have to discuss other alternatives. In the meantime, I peruse the net and hope to find something that will help keep me on my feet.
Hi, Brian,
Tough stuff. Have you considered implantable drug pumps? I am not advocating one way or another, but your comment did not mention you having tried this. Here is an intro article to this treatment: Implantable Drug Pumps, and here is an overview of some of the risks involved: Drug Pump Risks.
Best of luck with it.
Anne