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Purdue Pharma, makers of painkiller associated with opioid epidemic, to plead to 3 criminal charges
ABC 7 ^ | Oct 2020 | Michael Balsamo

Posted on 10/25/2020 5:05:17 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion, Justice Department officials announced Wednesday.

The company will plead guilty to three counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating federal anti-kickback laws, the officials said. The resolution will be detailed in a bankruptcy court filing in federal court.

Ed Bisch, who lost his 18-year-old son to an OxyContin overdose nearly 20 years ago, said he wants to see people associated with Purdue prosecuted. "The fact that they day this doesn't grant anyone immunity, I'm heartened by that," he said after the deal was announced.

As part of the resolution, Purdue is admitting that it impeded the Drug Enforcement Administration by falsely representing that it had maintained an effective program to avoid drug diversion and by reporting misleading information to the agency to boost the company's manufacturing quotas, the officials said.

As part of the plea deal, the company admits it violated federal law and "knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with others to aid and abet" the dispensing of medication from doctors "without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of professional practice," according to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by the AP.

First lady Melania Trump, who has focused many of her public efforts on health issues such as this epidemic, tweeted that the agreement was "another big step in defeating" the crisis.

(Excerpt) Read more at abc7.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: again; bigpharma; drugabuse; drugaddiction; drugs; opioidepidemic; oxycontin

1 posted on 10/25/2020 5:05:17 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

They should all be in jail....along with the doctors

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America Paperback – August 6, 2019..

https://www.amazon.com/Dopesick-Dealers-Doctors-Company-Addicted/dp/0316551309/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3730JR02JVCI3&dchild=1&keywords=dopesick+beth+macy&qid=1603671300&s=books&sprefix=Dopesick%2Cstripbooks%2C190&sr=1-1


2 posted on 10/25/2020 5:15:37 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

I don’t trust BigPharma and neither does my dear friend, a graduate pharmacist who worked for a BigPharma company, took doctors on Hawaiian vacations to persuade them to prescribe more drugs.

Friend and I avoid pharmaceuticals and take a lot of nutritional supplements to stay well, rather than getting sick and needing drugs.


3 posted on 10/25/2020 5:18:39 PM PDT by Veto! (Political Correctness Offends Me)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Several years ago the mcare disbursement was tied to a question about pain. It caused so much addiction, it was removed. Of course the insurance companies who “administer “ mcare get off scott free.


4 posted on 10/25/2020 5:26:35 PM PDT by momincombatboots (Ephesians 6... who you are really at war with)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Why is a company that conspired to sell drugs contributing to a rash of deaths and addictions across the globe allowed to every manufacture one more?


5 posted on 10/25/2020 5:32:43 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: momincombatboots

6 posted on 10/25/2020 5:40:22 PM PDT by skimbell
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
I've had both my hips replaced and they were both done by a senior surgeon at an outstanding,and world famous,hospital.Upon discharge I was,both times,given a prescription for 90 oxys. I took them,as ordered,for two or three days and then I switched to Motrin...tossing about 80 oxys in the toilet.

Why is it that drug companies and doctors are blamed for addiction rather than the addicts themselves?

7 posted on 10/25/2020 5:44:19 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (BLM Stands For "Bidens Loot Millions"!)
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To: momincombatboots

There were voices during WW2 objecting to morphine for grievously wounded soldiers on the grounds it may be addictive. I hope anti-opioid types are in desperate need of pain relief and are told to take aspirin.


8 posted on 10/25/2020 6:14:28 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Veto!

No doctor in at least 20 years has been taken on a pharmacy junket due to federal law. It just ain’t true at least in the last two decades.


9 posted on 10/25/2020 6:14:30 PM PDT by gas_dr (Trial lawyers AND POLITICIANS are Endangering Every Patient in America: INCLUDING THEIR LIBERTIES)
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To: gas_dr

Sorry, but everyone and anyone should be able to purchase these things in any quantity over-the-counter, without a Rx. By what right does anyone have to tell me what I can or cannot ingest, so long as I and not the taxpayer must pay for the consequences ?


10 posted on 10/25/2020 6:44:05 PM PDT by huckfillary
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To: Veto!
Well that's laudable, now let me know how you fell when you have serious physical injury or deterioration of joints and nerves and your only relief for long term pain is the judicious use of pain meds like opiods.

What this company did was reprehensible as the few when taking all doctors in total did by writing bogus prescriptions. They not only harmed those that became addicted, which I don't understand as I have been on Opioids for decades but do know there Are many people with addictive personalities, they also harmed untold numbers of long term pain sufferers who have had their pain meds severely restricted due to the 'war on opioids'.

11 posted on 10/25/2020 6:50:09 PM PDT by Mastador1
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

12 posted on 10/25/2020 7:10:05 PM PDT by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: huckfillary

Should be able to what? Purchase anything over the counter? Not so sure that this is a great idea. Please expound. If you believe all prescriptions should be freely purchasable I think that’s just nuts. There are substances that should be only on the rx of a physician.

By the same means do I think the DEA has scheduled way too much stuff? Absolutely.


13 posted on 10/25/2020 7:22:52 PM PDT by gas_dr (Trial lawyers AND POLITICIANS are Endangering Every Patient in America: INCLUDING THEIR LIBERTIES)
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To: Theoria

That’s rather tasteless. It’s not even real ad copy. It’s some progressive photoshopped bullshit.


14 posted on 10/25/2020 7:25:51 PM PDT by Free in Texas (Celebrate diversity. Own firearms of every caliber.)
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To: Free in Texas

Rush is a self admitted addict. Others went to jail for far less. That is the nature of drugs.


15 posted on 10/25/2020 7:32:01 PM PDT by Theoria (I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive)
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To: Mastador1

I’m 84. Everything works, nothing hurts. My wonderful doctor prescribes several nutritional supplements a day for me.

Of course, I may have an injury that requires pharmaceutical meds. Hope not, but until then, I’m sticking with my supplements, exercise, and filtered water. My cat has never had tap water. She absolutely loves Fiji Water, which I consider the best of the best bottled water. Try it, you’ll like it.

Had a tooth surgically removed recently. Dentist gave me a prescription for pain meds. Took one, then never needed another. Keeping the bottle, may need them some day.


16 posted on 10/25/2020 8:21:17 PM PDT by Veto! (Political Correctness Offends Me)
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To: Veto!

“Took one, then never needed another. Keeping the bottle, may need them some day.”

that’s what i do too ...


17 posted on 10/25/2020 8:55:42 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege; Hojczyk; T.B. Yoits; Bonemaker

Purdue Pharma may be guilty of a lot of fraudulent behavior, but oxycontin is nothing more than time-release oxycodone, which was invented in Germany in 1916 ...

time-release oxycodone is a god-send for after-surgery pain as ordinary opioids have extremely short half-lives ... i don’t know how many times i was in agony two hours after a drug like dilaudid wore off after surgery and i was told i couldn’t have anything else for pain for four more hours ...

oxycontin is no more additive than its constituent ingredient or any other opioid ... blame doctors for prescribing these extremely addictive drugs in too large of quantities and not emphasizing to their patients their highly addictive properties ...


18 posted on 10/25/2020 8:56:22 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Veto!

Pharm reps live a very good life.....every one of them enjoy a big lifestyle, all tax deductible.


19 posted on 10/25/2020 9:08:13 PM PDT by cherry
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To: Theoria

It’s one thing to discuss his admitted addiction. Quite another to post a smear.


20 posted on 10/25/2020 10:52:10 PM PDT by Free in Texas (Celebrate diversity. Own firearms of every caliber.)
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