Not much can be done about the opioid crisis. Nice work big pharma. Should take all these executives responsible for this bullshit and start pumping the product into them...get them assholes addicted to their poison.
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
would chap 11 be allowed to go through with pending lawsuits in the courts for years ?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
would chap 11 be allowed to go through with pending lawsuits in the courts for years ?
That's what I'm confused about. I believe they did file and settle to avoid having to pay more. The Ch11 should protect them now.
That is my understanding of it but i guess we will see.
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
would chap 11 be allowed to go through with pending lawsuits in the courts for years ?
That's what I'm confused about. I believe they did file and settle to avoid having to pay more. The Ch11 should protect them now.
That is my understanding of it but i guess we will see.
previous page post dated 8-31 links a nyt article. I posted the whole article. it lays out some of the scenarios.
so however it ends up shaking out, Purdue Pharma is dead. Question I have would the family be prohibited from starting up again.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
would chap 11 be allowed to go through with pending lawsuits in the courts for years ?
That's what I'm confused about. I believe they did file and settle to avoid having to pay more. The Ch11 should protect them now.
That is my understanding of it but i guess we will see.
previous page post dated 8-31 links a nyt article. I posted the whole article. it lays out some of the scenarios.
so however it ends up shaking out, Purdue Pharma is dead. Question I have would the family be prohibited from starting up again.
I could have sworn I heard on the radio that when they sell both companies they will not be allowed to start up another Pharmaceutical company.
I just heard this on the radio. That is crazy. I guess they knew that more lawsuits would be coming so time to close up shop.
no, its part of current settlements. Closing of Perdue and another equivalent in UK.
some states arent agreeing to the setlkement in the works. Largely due to the billions siphoned off by the Sacklers over recent years. States are saying their personal part of the settlement doesnt reflect that well enough. IIRC they've siphoned off in the neighborhood of 5-6 billion? Settlememt would require them to kick in personally about 1.5 I think it said?
I read the article and didn't realize that they had settlements in the works. The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
would chap 11 be allowed to go through with pending lawsuits in the courts for years ?
That's what I'm confused about. I believe they did file and settle to avoid having to pay more. The Ch11 should protect them now.
That is my understanding of it but i guess we will see.
previous page post dated 8-31 links a nyt article. I posted the whole article. it lays out some of the scenarios.
so however it ends up shaking out, Purdue Pharma is dead. Question I have would the family be prohibited from starting up again.
I could have sworn I heard on the radio that when they sell both companies they will not be allowed to start up another Pharmaceutical company.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The lifespan of the average American is dropping due to all the opioid related overdoses.
That's sad. It's easy to do. I am one lucky s.o.b. that way. Opiods are a great temporary fix to a temporary problem... until the problem is permanent: end of life.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
47 mins ago
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company.
In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to combat the addiction crisis.
Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas.
It also admitted paying doctors through a speakers program to induce them to write more prescriptions for its painkillers.
And it admitted paying an electronic medical records company to send doctors information on patients that encouraged them to prescribe opioids.
The guilty pleas were entered by Purdue board chairperson Steve Miller on behalf of the company. They were part of a criminal and civil settlement announced last month between the Stamford, Connecticut-based company and the Justice Department.
The deal includes $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures, but the company is on the hook for a direct payment to the federal government of only a fraction of that, $225 million. It would pay the smaller amount as long as it executes a settlement moving through federal bankruptcy court with state and local governments and other entities suing it over the toll of the opioid epidemic.
Members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company have also agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil claims. No criminal charges have been filed against family members, although their deal leaves open the possibility of that in the future.
“Having our plea accepted in federal court, and taking responsibility for past misconduct, is an essential step to preserve billions of dollars of value" for the settlement it is pursuing through bankruptcy court, the company said in a statement.
“We continue to work tirelessly to build additional support for a proposed bankruptcy settlement, which would direct the overwhelming majority of the settlement funds to state, local and tribal governments for the purpose of abating the opioid crisis," the statement read.
Purdue's plea to federal crimes provides only minor comfort for advocates who want to see harsher penalties for the OxyContin maker and its owners.
The ongoing drug overdose crisis, which appears to be worsening during the coronavirus pandemic, has contributed to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over the past two decades, most of those from opioids both legal and illicit.
Cynthia Munger, whose son is in recovery from opioid addiction after being prescribed OxyContin more than a decade ago as a high school baseball player with a shoulder injury, is among the activists pushing for Purdue owners and company officials to be charged with crimes.
“Until we do that and we stop accusing brick and mortar and not individuals, nothing will change,” said Munger, who lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The attorneys general for about half the states opposed the federal settlement, as well as the company’s proposed settlement in bankruptcy court. In the bankruptcy case, Purdue has proposed transforming into a public benefit corporation with its proceeds going to help address the opioid crisis.
The attorneys general and some activists are upset that despite the Sacklers giving up control of the company, the family remains wealthy and its members will not face prison or other individual penalties.
The activists say there’s no difference between the actions of the company and its owners, who also controlled Purdue's board until the past few years.
Last week, as part of a motion to get access to more family documents, the attorneys general who oppose the deals filed documents that put members of the Sackler family at the center of Purdue’s continued push for OxyContin sales even as opioid-related deaths rose.
The newly public documents include emails among consultants from McKinsey & Corp. hired by the company to help boost the business. One from 2008, a year after the company first pleaded guilty to opioid-related crimes, says board members, including a Sackler family member, “‘blessed’ him to do whatever he thinks is necessary to ‘save the business.’”
Another McKinsey internal email details how a midlevel Purdue employee felt about the company. It offers more evidence of the Sacklers being hands-on, saying, “The brothers who started the company viewed all employees like the guys who ‘trim the hedges’ — employees should do exactly what’s asked of them and not say too much.”
The documents also describe the company trying to “supercharge” opioid sales in 2013, as reaction to the overdose crisis was taking a toll on prescribing.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
47 mins ago
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company.
In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to combat the addiction crisis.
Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas.
It also admitted paying doctors through a speakers program to induce them to write more prescriptions for its painkillers.
And it admitted paying an electronic medical records company to send doctors information on patients that encouraged them to prescribe opioids.
The guilty pleas were entered by Purdue board chairperson Steve Miller on behalf of the company. They were part of a criminal and civil settlement announced last month between the Stamford, Connecticut-based company and the Justice Department.
The deal includes $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures, but the company is on the hook for a direct payment to the federal government of only a fraction of that, $225 million. It would pay the smaller amount as long as it executes a settlement moving through federal bankruptcy court with state and local governments and other entities suing it over the toll of the opioid epidemic.
Members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company have also agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil claims. No criminal charges have been filed against family members, although their deal leaves open the possibility of that in the future.
“Having our plea accepted in federal court, and taking responsibility for past misconduct, is an essential step to preserve billions of dollars of value" for the settlement it is pursuing through bankruptcy court, the company said in a statement.
“We continue to work tirelessly to build additional support for a proposed bankruptcy settlement, which would direct the overwhelming majority of the settlement funds to state, local and tribal governments for the purpose of abating the opioid crisis," the statement read.
Purdue's plea to federal crimes provides only minor comfort for advocates who want to see harsher penalties for the OxyContin maker and its owners.
The ongoing drug overdose crisis, which appears to be worsening during the coronavirus pandemic, has contributed to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over the past two decades, most of those from opioids both legal and illicit.
Cynthia Munger, whose son is in recovery from opioid addiction after being prescribed OxyContin more than a decade ago as a high school baseball player with a shoulder injury, is among the activists pushing for Purdue owners and company officials to be charged with crimes.
“Until we do that and we stop accusing brick and mortar and not individuals, nothing will change,” said Munger, who lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The attorneys general for about half the states opposed the federal settlement, as well as the company’s proposed settlement in bankruptcy court. In the bankruptcy case, Purdue has proposed transforming into a public benefit corporation with its proceeds going to help address the opioid crisis.
The attorneys general and some activists are upset that despite the Sacklers giving up control of the company, the family remains wealthy and its members will not face prison or other individual penalties.
The activists say there’s no difference between the actions of the company and its owners, who also controlled Purdue's board until the past few years.
Last week, as part of a motion to get access to more family documents, the attorneys general who oppose the deals filed documents that put members of the Sackler family at the center of Purdue’s continued push for OxyContin sales even as opioid-related deaths rose.
The newly public documents include emails among consultants from McKinsey & Corp. hired by the company to help boost the business. One from 2008, a year after the company first pleaded guilty to opioid-related crimes, says board members, including a Sackler family member, “‘blessed’ him to do whatever he thinks is necessary to ‘save the business.’”
Another McKinsey internal email details how a midlevel Purdue employee felt about the company. It offers more evidence of the Sacklers being hands-on, saying, “The brothers who started the company viewed all employees like the guys who ‘trim the hedges’ — employees should do exactly what’s asked of them and not say too much.”
The documents also describe the company trying to “supercharge” opioid sales in 2013, as reaction to the overdose crisis was taking a toll on prescribing.
Purdue Pharma exit plan gains steam with OK from more states
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
Today
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to reorganize into a new entity that helps combat the U.S. opioid epidemic got a big boost as 15 states that had previously opposed the new business model now support it.
The agreement from multiple state attorneys general, including those who had most aggressively opposed Purdue's original settlement proposal, was disclosed late Wednesday night in a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y. It followed weeks of intense mediations that resulted in changes to Purdue's original exit plan.
The new settlement terms call for Purdue to make tens of millions of internal documents public, a step several attorneys general, including those for Massachusetts and New York, had demanded as a way to hold the company accountable.
Attorneys general for both states were among those who agreed to the new plan, joining about half the states that had previously approved it.
In a joint online news conference Thursday, some of the attorneys general who signed on noted that their states are in line to get more money faster to fund drug treatment and prevention.
But they continued to express ire with the company and especially members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company and have not accepted any blame. “No one is happy with the settlement,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “Can the Sacklers do more? Hell yeah, they can do a lot better, but it should first begin with an apology.”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein noted Thursday that the deal includes about $1.5 billion more than it initially did.
In a statement, members of the Sackler family called the support of more states “an important step toward providing substantial resources for people and communities in need."
Still, nine states and the District of Columbia did not sign on. One of the holdouts, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson complained: “This settlement plan allows the Sacklers to walk away as billionaires with a legal shield for life."
Purdue said in a statement that it will try to build “even greater consensus” for its plan.
Purdue sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 as a way to settle about 3,000 lawsuits it faced from state and local governments and other entities. They claimed the company's continued marketing of its powerful prescription painkiller contributed to a crisis that has been linked to nearly 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades.
The court filing came from a mediator appointed by the bankruptcy court and shows that members of the Sackler family agreed to increase their cash contribution to the settlement by $50 million. They also will allow $175 million held in Sackler family charities to go toward abating the crisis.
In all, Sackler family members are contributing $4.5 billion in cash and assets in the charitable funds toward the settlement. They are not admitting any wrongdoing and no court has found any by a family member.
The agreement also prohibits the Sackler family from obtaining naming rights related to their charitable donations until they have paid all the money owed under the settlement and have given up all business interests related to the manufacturing or sale of opioids.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who had been the first attorney general to sue members of the Sackler family, praised the modified deal in a statement early Thursday. She pointed to the $90 million her state would receive and the way the company could waive attorney-client privilege to release hundreds of thousands of confidential communications with lawyers about its tactics for selling opioids and other matters.
“While I know this resolution does not bring back loved ones or undo the evil of what the Sacklers did, forcing them to turn over their secrets by providing all the documents, forcing them to repay billions, forcing the Sacklers out of the opioid business, and shutting down Purdue will help stop anything like this from ever happening again,” Healey said.
Purdue's plan also calls for members of the Sackler family to give up ownership of the Connecticut-based company as part of a sweeping deal it says could be worth $10 billion over time. That includes the value of overdose-reversal drugs the company is planning to produce.
Money from the deal is to go to government entities, which have agreed to use it to address the opioid crisis, along with individual victims and their families.
Most groups representing various creditors, including victims and local governments, had grudgingly supported the plan. But state attorneys general until now were deeply divided, with about half of them supporting the plan and half fighting against it.
The attorneys general who had opposed the plan said they didn't like the idea of having to rely on profits from the continued sale of prescription painkillers to combat the opioid epidemic. The revised deal lets state and local governments opt out of receiving those funds. Attorneys general also said the deal didn't do enough to hold Sackler family members accountable or to make public documents that could help explain the company's role in the crisis.
Last month, Massachusetts' Healey told The Associated Press, “The Sacklers are not offering to pay anything near what they should for the harm and devastation caused to families and communities around this country.”
The support from additional states comes less than two weeks before the deadline to object formally to Purdue's reorganization plan and about a month before a hearing on whether it should be accepted.
With just nine states and the District of Columbia remaining opposed to the plan, it makes it more likely the federal bankruptcy judge will confirm the deal.
Activists also dislike it, and two Democratic members of Congress have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to oppose it. Reps. Carolyn Maloney of New York and Mark DeSaulnier of California said in a statement Thursday that allowing Sackler family members “to obtain legal immunity through Purdue's bankruptcy would be a tragic miscarriage of justice.” The Justice Department has not weighed in.
Last year, the company pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government.
In a separate civil settlement announced at the same time, Sackler family members agreed to pay the federal government $225 million, while admitting no wrongdoing.
The opioid crisis includes overdoses involving prescription drugs as well as illegal ones such as heroin and fentanyl. Purdue's bankruptcy case is the highest-profile piece of complicated nationwide litigation against drugmakers, distribution companies and pharmacies.
Trials against other companies in the industry are playing out in California, New York and West Virginia, and negotiations are continuing to settle many of the claims.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Thanks for posting @mickeyrat I was going to run this in the AM.
I was thinking about this and what occurred to me is if Purdue Pharma is no longer allowed to manufacture the drug will it still be made by others? If so do they have to pay for those sins too? Stop making the drug. Period.
This started out great but now states have their hands out wanting more so it sours me a little. I guess because the cost of fighting addiction to states is so high and the Stackers have billions of dollars is the reason?
Why the FDA gets a free pass on this is beyond me still. It just rolls right off of them.
I'm also wondering when Fentanyl gets this same treatment?
So with the additional lawsuits this story continues.
May have already been talked about in the tread , Crime Of The Century on HBO ( 4 hour doc cut into two parts ) first two hours are about oxy's and second two about Fentanly.
Honest having a family member sober for 6 years from oxy's and thinking I knew everything , watching this still made my jaw drop. They should all be locked up , its disgusting to see what the rich and powerful can get away with.
May have already been talked about in the tread , Crime Of The Century on HBO ( 4 hour doc cut into two parts ) first two hours are about oxy's and second two about Fentanly.
Honest having a family member sober for 6 years from oxy's and thinking I knew everything , watching this still made my jaw drop. They should all be locked up , its disgusting to see what the rich and powerful can get away with.
I'll be watching that. TY.
I have mentioned that I saw the outbreak when it first happened in 1999 down in Virginia. To watch it literally get worse in front of your eyes was horrible.
So this documentary will give me a worse outlook on the Purdue Pharma company huh?
May have already been talked about in the tread , Crime Of The Century on HBO ( 4 hour doc cut into two parts ) first two hours are about oxy's and second two about Fentanly.
Honest having a family member sober for 6 years from oxy's and thinking I knew everything , watching this still made my jaw drop. They should all be locked up , its disgusting to see what the rich and powerful can get away with.
I'll be watching that. TY.
I have mentioned that I saw the outbreak when it first happened in 1999 down in Virginia. To watch it literally get worse in front of your eyes was horrible.
So this documentary will give me a worse outlook on the Purdue Pharma company huh?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
May have already been talked about in the tread , Crime Of The Century on HBO ( 4 hour doc cut into two parts ) first two hours are about oxy's and second two about Fentanly.
Honest having a family member sober for 6 years from oxy's and thinking I knew everything , watching this still made my jaw drop. They should all be locked up , its disgusting to see what the rich and powerful can get away with.
I'll be watching that. TY.
I have mentioned that I saw the outbreak when it first happened in 1999 down in Virginia. To watch it literally get worse in front of your eyes was horrible.
So this documentary will give me a worse outlook on the Purdue Pharma company huh?
Thanks for this.
you mean the Stacklers.....
Yes, correct. The Stacklers. I'm very interested to see what they did pull off in this.
Thanks for posting @mickeyrat I was going to run this in the AM.
I was thinking about this and what occurred to me is if Purdue Pharma is no longer allowed to manufacture the drug will it still be made by others? If so do they have to pay for those sins too? Stop making the drug. Period.
This started out great but now states have their hands out wanting more so it sours me a little. I guess because the cost of fighting addiction to states is so high and the Stackers have billions of dollars is the reason?
Why the FDA gets a free pass on this is beyond me still. It just rolls right off of them.
I'm also wondering when Fentanyl gets this same treatment?
So with the additional lawsuits this story continues.
To be clear the Fentanyl that is used in hospitals - such as for epidurals - is not the same as the Fentanyl on the street. The crazy, and depressingly, crushing, unhopeful part re: Fentanyl on the street is: 1) that it's shipped/smuggled in from every country (but mainly China and Mexico) 2) since it's synthetic it is ungodly plentiful, so super super cheap 3) the amount that can cause an overdose is the size of three grains of sand.
My best friend's sister - my friend, I should say - lost her life this past September.
We are still on a crazy upswing for addiction and deaths.
Don't drug dealers want to keep a customer coming back? Why on earth would you use fentanyl to cut your product and kill off your reoccurring customers?
And a global pandemic certainly isn't going to help drive those numbers down.
I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
And a global pandemic certainly isn't going to help drive those numbers down.
I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
Haven’t you witnessed the effects of the Devil’s Weed? Driving ‘Murica to ruin with its wicked ways.
Comments
Purdue Pharma Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/health/purdue-pharma-bankruptcy-opioids-settlement.htmlNot today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
The filing for Ch11 is going to shield them from any further lawsuits but it seems that other AG's want to go after the Sacklers' personal assets. Can they do that? I thought the whole purpose of filing for Bankruptcy was to be shielded from other debts/lawsuits?
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
That is my understanding of it but i guess we will see.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
https://nationalpost.com/news/world/doctor-who-prescribed-half-a-million-doses-of-opioids-is-given-40-years-in-prison?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0tskPlv5GOsTw2BmvX69S7raU6DyxzCPrsJ7bJzwl8IQIqULuI2rUm_Oo#Echobox=1570206176
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
That's sad. It's easy to do. I am one lucky s.o.b. that way. Opiods are a great temporary fix to a temporary problem... until the problem is permanent: end of life.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges, formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to the company.
In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's efforts to combat the addiction crisis.
Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market, even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company manufacturing quotas.
It also admitted paying doctors through a speakers program to induce them to write more prescriptions for its painkillers.
And it admitted paying an electronic medical records company to send doctors information on patients that encouraged them to prescribe opioids.
The guilty pleas were entered by Purdue board chairperson Steve Miller on behalf of the company. They were part of a criminal and civil settlement announced last month between the Stamford, Connecticut-based company and the Justice Department.
The deal includes $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures, but the company is on the hook for a direct payment to the federal government of only a fraction of that, $225 million. It would pay the smaller amount as long as it executes a settlement moving through federal bankruptcy court with state and local governments and other entities suing it over the toll of the opioid epidemic.
Members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company have also agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil claims. No criminal charges have been filed against family members, although their deal leaves open the possibility of that in the future.
“Having our plea accepted in federal court, and taking responsibility for past misconduct, is an essential step to preserve billions of dollars of value" for the settlement it is pursuing through bankruptcy court, the company said in a statement.
“We continue to work tirelessly to build additional support for a proposed bankruptcy settlement, which would direct the overwhelming majority of the settlement funds to state, local and tribal governments for the purpose of abating the opioid crisis," the statement read.
Purdue's plea to federal crimes provides only minor comfort for advocates who want to see harsher penalties for the OxyContin maker and its owners.
The ongoing drug overdose crisis, which appears to be worsening during the coronavirus pandemic, has contributed to the deaths of more than 470,000 Americans over the past two decades, most of those from opioids both legal and illicit.
Cynthia Munger, whose son is in recovery from opioid addiction after being prescribed OxyContin more than a decade ago as a high school baseball player with a shoulder injury, is among the activists pushing for Purdue owners and company officials to be charged with crimes.
“Until we do that and we stop accusing brick and mortar and not individuals, nothing will change,” said Munger, who lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The attorneys general for about half the states opposed the federal settlement, as well as the company’s proposed settlement in bankruptcy court. In the bankruptcy case, Purdue has proposed transforming into a public benefit corporation with its proceeds going to help address the opioid crisis.
The attorneys general and some activists are upset that despite the Sacklers giving up control of the company, the family remains wealthy and its members will not face prison or other individual penalties.
The activists say there’s no difference between the actions of the company and its owners, who also controlled Purdue's board until the past few years.
Last week, as part of a motion to get access to more family documents, the attorneys general who oppose the deals filed documents that put members of the Sackler family at the center of Purdue’s continued push for OxyContin sales even as opioid-related deaths rose.
The newly public documents include emails among consultants from McKinsey & Corp. hired by the company to help boost the business. One from 2008, a year after the company first pleaded guilty to opioid-related crimes, says board members, including a Sackler family member, “‘blessed’ him to do whatever he thinks is necessary to ‘save the business.’”
Another McKinsey internal email details how a midlevel Purdue employee felt about the company. It offers more evidence of the Sacklers being hands-on, saying, “The brothers who started the company viewed all employees like the guys who ‘trim the hedges’ — employees should do exactly what’s asked of them and not say too much.”
The documents also describe the company trying to “supercharge” opioid sales in 2013, as reaction to the overdose crisis was taking a toll on prescribing.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Crazy right?
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to reorganize into a new entity that helps combat the U.S. opioid epidemic got a big boost as 15 states that had previously opposed the new business model now support it.
The agreement from multiple state attorneys general, including those who had most aggressively opposed Purdue's original settlement proposal, was disclosed late Wednesday night in a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y. It followed weeks of intense mediations that resulted in changes to Purdue's original exit plan.
The new settlement terms call for Purdue to make tens of millions of internal documents public, a step several attorneys general, including those for Massachusetts and New York, had demanded as a way to hold the company accountable.
Attorneys general for both states were among those who agreed to the new plan, joining about half the states that had previously approved it.
In a joint online news conference Thursday, some of the attorneys general who signed on noted that their states are in line to get more money faster to fund drug treatment and prevention.
But they continued to express ire with the company and especially members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company and have not accepted any blame. “No one is happy with the settlement,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “Can the Sacklers do more? Hell yeah, they can do a lot better, but it should first begin with an apology.”
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein noted Thursday that the deal includes about $1.5 billion more than it initially did.
In a statement, members of the Sackler family called the support of more states “an important step toward providing substantial resources for people and communities in need."
Still, nine states and the District of Columbia did not sign on. One of the holdouts, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson complained: “This settlement plan allows the Sacklers to walk away as billionaires with a legal shield for life."
Purdue said in a statement that it will try to build “even greater consensus” for its plan.
Purdue sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 as a way to settle about 3,000 lawsuits it faced from state and local governments and other entities. They claimed the company's continued marketing of its powerful prescription painkiller contributed to a crisis that has been linked to nearly 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades.
The court filing came from a mediator appointed by the bankruptcy court and shows that members of the Sackler family agreed to increase their cash contribution to the settlement by $50 million. They also will allow $175 million held in Sackler family charities to go toward abating the crisis.
In all, Sackler family members are contributing $4.5 billion in cash and assets in the charitable funds toward the settlement. They are not admitting any wrongdoing and no court has found any by a family member.
The agreement also prohibits the Sackler family from obtaining naming rights related to their charitable donations until they have paid all the money owed under the settlement and have given up all business interests related to the manufacturing or sale of opioids.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who had been the first attorney general to sue members of the Sackler family, praised the modified deal in a statement early Thursday. She pointed to the $90 million her state would receive and the way the company could waive attorney-client privilege to release hundreds of thousands of confidential communications with lawyers about its tactics for selling opioids and other matters.
“While I know this resolution does not bring back loved ones or undo the evil of what the Sacklers did, forcing them to turn over their secrets by providing all the documents, forcing them to repay billions, forcing the Sacklers out of the opioid business, and shutting down Purdue will help stop anything like this from ever happening again,” Healey said.
Purdue's plan also calls for members of the Sackler family to give up ownership of the Connecticut-based company as part of a sweeping deal it says could be worth $10 billion over time. That includes the value of overdose-reversal drugs the company is planning to produce.
Money from the deal is to go to government entities, which have agreed to use it to address the opioid crisis, along with individual victims and their families.
Most groups representing various creditors, including victims and local governments, had grudgingly supported the plan. But state attorneys general until now were deeply divided, with about half of them supporting the plan and half fighting against it.
The attorneys general who had opposed the plan said they didn't like the idea of having to rely on profits from the continued sale of prescription painkillers to combat the opioid epidemic. The revised deal lets state and local governments opt out of receiving those funds. Attorneys general also said the deal didn't do enough to hold Sackler family members accountable or to make public documents that could help explain the company's role in the crisis.
Last month, Massachusetts' Healey told The Associated Press, “The Sacklers are not offering to pay anything near what they should for the harm and devastation caused to families and communities around this country.”
The support from additional states comes less than two weeks before the deadline to object formally to Purdue's reorganization plan and about a month before a hearing on whether it should be accepted.
With just nine states and the District of Columbia remaining opposed to the plan, it makes it more likely the federal bankruptcy judge will confirm the deal.
Activists also dislike it, and two Democratic members of Congress have asked the U.S. Department of Justice to oppose it. Reps. Carolyn Maloney of New York and Mark DeSaulnier of California said in a statement Thursday that allowing Sackler family members “to obtain legal immunity through Purdue's bankruptcy would be a tragic miscarriage of justice.” The Justice Department has not weighed in.
Last year, the company pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government.
In a separate civil settlement announced at the same time, Sackler family members agreed to pay the federal government $225 million, while admitting no wrongdoing.
The opioid crisis includes overdoses involving prescription drugs as well as illegal ones such as heroin and fentanyl. Purdue's bankruptcy case is the highest-profile piece of complicated nationwide litigation against drugmakers, distribution companies and pharmacies.
Trials against other companies in the industry are playing out in California, New York and West Virginia, and negotiations are continuing to settle many of the claims.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
I was thinking about this and what occurred to me is if Purdue Pharma is no longer allowed to manufacture the drug will it still be made by others? If so do they have to pay for those sins too? Stop making the drug. Period.
This started out great but now states have their hands out wanting more so it sours me a little. I guess because the cost of fighting addiction to states is so high and the Stackers have billions of dollars is the reason?
Why the FDA gets a free pass on this is beyond me still. It just rolls right off of them.
I'm also wondering when Fentanyl gets this same treatment?
So with the additional lawsuits this story continues.
May have already been talked about in the tread , Crime Of The Century on HBO ( 4 hour doc cut into two parts ) first two hours are about oxy's and second two about Fentanly.
Honest having a family member sober for 6 years from oxy's and thinking I knew everything , watching this still made my jaw drop. They should all be locked up , its disgusting to see what the rich and powerful can get away with.
I have mentioned that I saw the outbreak when it first happened in 1999 down in Virginia. To watch it literally get worse in front of your eyes was horrible.
So this documentary will give me a worse outlook on the Purdue Pharma company huh?
Thanks for this.
you mean the Stacklers.....
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
My best friend's sister - my friend, I should say - lost her life this past September.
We are still on a crazy upswing for addiction and deaths.
Don't drug dealers want to keep a customer coming back? Why on earth would you use fentanyl to cut your product and kill off your reoccurring customers?
I hear ya, but super cheap and super addictive. Probably my only libertarian view I'll ever have is that all drugs should be legalized. Because the war on drugs has clearly never worked. Legalize it all, regulate it all, make it accessible to all. And on the other end of the spectrum - socialize the healthcare system. At least at the end of the day you're keeping people out of incarceration systems and into health systems, safe places.
Libtardaplorable©. And proud of it.
Brilliantati©