The Candyman Can’t Anymore

The Sacklers have been sacked.

While workers’ comp industry stakeholders have been focusing on COVID claims and expenses, the DOJ has been on the OxyContin trail.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced a global resolution of criminal and civil investigations with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, and a civil settlement with its shareholders from the Sackler family. This process is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court, and it effectively wrests control of Purdue Pharma from its former owners.

The main points of the resolution include:

Plea agreement to three felony counts;

Dollar settlement of $8 Billion;

Admissions of fraud and violation of anti-kickback statute.

The bottom line is that Purdue promoted its opioid drug to prescribers for unsafe, ineffective and unnecessary uses. According to the DOJ press release, it was clear the manufacturer was well aware of these abuses but intensified their marketing anyway.

Quoting from the announcement, “one doctor was known by patients as ‘the Candyman’ and was prescribing crazy dosing of OxyContin, yet Purdue had sales representatives meet with the doctor more than 300 times.”

For two decades, OMCA has been sounding the alarm against opioid abuse. With this resolution, we can continue to do better.

Call us. We can do better.

William Faris, JD
Chief Executive Officer
502-495-5040
william.faris@omca.biz
www.omca.biz

Posted in News