Seen all of #Dopesick?
Few were willing to challenge OxyContin's rise. But now we have the benefit of hindsight
Here are just some of the unethical, immoral & criminal acts of Purdue Pharma the series exposes
As the Sackler Family likes to say: Judge For Yourselves
THREAD 1/18
2/18
Purdue Pharma had prior experience with time-release opioids. Their morphine painkiller MS Contin was abused, diverted & highly coveted on the street. They knew all along
And yet, they moved forward with OxyContin, claiming it was safe, nonaddictive & unappealing to addicts
3/18
Despite having ZERO studies or data to claim OxyContin was less addictive than other opioids, the FDA granted them a label saying so
FDA Review Officer Curtis Wright secretly allowed Purdue to help write their own FDA review. Then he quit to go work for them at almost 400k
4/18
Purdue falsely claimed the time-release coating on the pills made it impossible for abusers to obtain access to the full dose at once. Therefore OxyContin was "nonaddictive" & "unappealing to addicts".
But their own studies showed how easily the coating could be bypassed.
5/18
There was a misconception among many doctors that oxycodone was weaker than morphine, when in reality its nearly twice as strong (milligram to milligram).
Richard Sackler & senior Purdue executives knowingly deceived doctors to perpetuate this false impression & boost sales
6/18
Purdue distributed an OxyContin promotional video all across the country.
It said OxyContin was safe & nonaddictive. The patients in it were told it was a PSA & coached to lie. They said they got their lives back.
Most ended up addicted or dead...
jsonline.com/story/news/inv…
7/18
Purdue claimed OxyContin was so special because it lasted 12 hours, unlike all other opioids. This claim was central to their marketing & early success / sales.
But from the beginning, they knew it was a lie. Their own testing repeatedly proved it.
latimes.com/projects/oxyco…
8/18
Purdue's #1 selling point was "Less than 1% get addicted" to OxyContin. Sales Reps repeated this ad nauseam. It was central to their marketing.
The data came from a "landmark study", they said
Actually, it was a 1-paragraph Letter to the Editor...
theatlantic.com/health/archive…
9/18
With reports of the drug not lasting 12 hours, patients in withdrawal & getting addicted, what did Purdue do?
They hired former dentist David Haddox to push a new concept: People weren't addicted to Oxy. They were suffering from "Pseudoaddiction", the cure being more pills.
10/18
The infamous Blood Charts
Purdue wanted to claim OxyContin created fewer "peaks & valleys" & therefore less "buzz" than other opioids.
But the data just didn't show that. So against the FDA's warnings, they manipulated Blood Charts & even had sales reps draw them by hand
11/18
Purdue adamantly claimed they never heard about OxyContin abuse until early 2000
But they knew about it well before then, when Howard Udell's secretary sent a report on abuse to the Sacklers & top execs
And when at least 117 sales reps reported abuse to management in '97
12/18
Purdue touted a study which "proved" patients taking up to 60mg/day OxyContin could stop cold turkey without withdrawal
But the study was actually on patients taking up to 20mg/day, not 60mg
Only 15 of 106 patients even completed the study. 20% suffering in withdrawal.
13/18
Purdue financed a network of "independent" Pain Societies meant to advocate for patients
Other Pharma companies did too. But Purdue took it further. "Partners Against Pain" directed patients to doctors known to be high Oxy prescribers. It was fully funded & run by Purdue.
14/18
They took full advantage of The Revolving Door, hiring the very people meant to be regulating them
Like Curtis Wright at the FDA
And Jay McCloskey, the first US Attorney to come after them on OxyContin
They bought their way out of trouble with the Florida AG, too...
15/18
Unlike at other pharma companies, Purdue Sales Rep bonuses were tied directly to the number of milligrams their docs prescribed
Top-selling sales reps in each region were rewarded with free trips to Bermuda.
On $55k salary, Purdue reps could make another $240k in bonuses
16/18
The higher the dose, the more Purdue charged. They were raking in cash on long-term prescriptions.
There was a fortune to be made on so-called "Pill Mill" doctors who illegally prescribed.
So Purdue looked the other way, almost never reporting blatant criminal activity.
17/18
By now it's clear: Purdue knew what they were doing was wrong & could get them into trouble
So they sought ways to protect themselves: Never put damaging info in writing. Delete incriminating emails. They even patented "email destruction" software to never leave a trace.
18/18
And finally, when testifying before Congress in 2001, Purdue Pharma executives committed perjury.
Michael Friedman, Paul Goldenheim & Howard Udell swore under oath that they (& Purde itself) *never* heard of OxyContin abuse before 2001.
Of course you know that's a lie.
Final thought:
Members of the Sackler family tried to revise history & deny any wrongdoing.
They like to present alternative facts so you can "Judge For Yourselves"
This thread is not opinion. It is documented facts uncovered by journalists & prosecutors.
Judge for yourself
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