Robert is joined again by James Heaney (Alchemy This) to continue discussing: The Sackler Family, Purdue Pharma and the Opioid Epidemic. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Death Island podcast explores the mysterious deaths of dozens of tourists on an island in the last 20 years. Listen every Wednesday on iHeartRadio or Apple Podcasts.
Drug companies used prescriber profiles to influence the prescribing habits of individual physicians, particularly those in time-constrained managed care environments with complicated chronic pain patients, resulting in the over-prescription of addictive drugs.
This podcast discusses the addiction risk associated with opioids prescribed for chronic pain relief as compared to their use for treating malignant pain in cancer patients.
Opioids such as Oxycontin are intended for acute and malignant pain, not for chronic pain, as they have led to addiction and deaths. Recent findings suggest that prescribing opiates for chronic pain is not a good idea.
Purdue Pharma allegedly used various tactics to incentivize doctors to overprescribe Oxycontin, from lavish trips to Pebble Beach to offering speaker fees and consulting gigs.
In a public statement, Purdue Pharma admitted that some employees made misleading statements about Oxycontin to healthcare professionals, leading three executives, including former CEO Michael Friedman, to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of misbranding the drug.
The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharmaceuticals, were fined more than $600 million in a plea agreement in 2007 for their role in the opioid crisis. However, with opiate-related deaths at 142 Americans per day and an economic cost of $80 billion in 2013, many people believe that the punishment was a mere slap on the wrist.
The origins of the opioid epidemic can be traced back to the creation of OxyContin which lead to the rise of fentanyl. A lawsuit against Purdue Pharma states that the company's former vice-president tried to warn their chief compliance officer about the potential compliance risks of directly promoting opioids.
Activists protested at the Guggenheim Museum, calling out donor-advised funds that funnel money from anonymous donors to hate groups. The protest included dumping prescription papers in reference to the Sackler family's involvement in the opioid crisis.
The podcast discusses the lack of concern and action taken by certain individuals towards the opioid crisis in America, and whether lessons have been learned from it.
The speaker highlights the unfairness in the criminal justice system where drug dealers get harsh sentences, while rich people who cause harm get away with a slap on the wrist.
The word "believe" carries a lot of weight in pharmaceutical ads, and Sophie reminds the host to mention their products. Meanwhile, the host describes the beautiful island of Koh Tao in Thailand.