Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	And The Right Wants Less Regulations
Date:	10/21/2020 12:13:49 PM

 The Company has declared bankruptcy and there is no way $8billion is going to be collected. Over 450,000 have died from an overdose     since 1999.

From the NYT...

"Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of defrauding federal health agencies and violating anti-kickback laws, and faces penalties of roughly $8.3 billion, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.

The company’s owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, will pay $225 million in civil penalties.

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.

A Justice Department official said Purdue had been representing to the DEA that it had “robust controls” to avoid opioid diversion but instead had been “disregarding red flags their own systems were sending up.”

Purdue is also admitting to violating federal anti-kickback laws by paying doctors, through a speaking program, to induce them to write more prescriptions for the company’s opioids and for using electronic health records software to influence the prescription of pain medication, according to the officials."

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	You're joking, right?
Date:	10/21/2020 12:42:10 PM

The health care industry, especially pharma companies are one of the most highly regulated industries on the planet.  Just an incovenient reminder Goofy, the federal govt approved OxyContin. And Purdue was driven into bankruptcy but will pay an $8B settlement and their leadership is not out of the woods from criminal liabilities.  Sounds like the system works.

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Why would I joke over 450,000 deaths
Date:	10/21/2020 1:48:24 PM

It is not about the exisiting reguations dude. The Right, you included,  continue to push for less regulation across the board as part of your platform.....It's about the future and regulations. You know that from your business.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Nonsense
Date:	10/21/2020 2:10:39 PM

They are heavily regulated and yet this epidemic of opiod addiction happened.  Most of the people taking opiods that die (around 68%) do so with illegal drugs, not from legally prescribed drugs.  Fentanyl being the most common followed by heroin.  Some other interesting factoids about the opiod crisis.  Medicaid users are prescribed opiod pain killers at twice the rate of non-Medicaid patients.  So the govt is actually a big part of the problem.  Another factoid, 80% of all opiod prescriptions are written by 20% of the doctors.  

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Nonsense
Date:	10/21/2020 3:09:13 PM

I don't disagree with any of the stats, but the 80/20 stat could be skewed by type of practice.  Orthopedists, surgeons and neurologists are much more like to prescribe pain killers than say a dermatologist, internists, or primary care even.  Maybe CRD will have some input on that stat but it seem reasonable that some would naturally prescribe more than others but the 80/20 is interesting.

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	True...
Date:	10/21/2020 3:16:23 PM (updated 10/21/2020 3:18:41 PM)

But that is kind of my point.  Most of the prescriptions come from a small subset of doctors.  It's not like every doctor is out there prescribing OxyContin because Purdue gave them some incentive to do so.  It was being prescribed by doctors presumably to manage pain and not will nilly and not because Purdue had some financial incentive to do so.

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	GOOF-OBAMMIE-IDIOT
Date:	10/21/2020 3:28:16 PM (updated 10/21/2020 3:30:33 PM)

Let’s see the president who since 1999 (2008-2016) who let OxyContin go wild was who???   OBAMMIE!!

And the president’s term who was responsible for bringing down the family and drug was???   TRUMP

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	True...
Date:	10/21/2020 5:06:54 PM

Pain clinics, and people doctor-shopping around for pain killers.  Also buying off the street.  People go to Drs. demanding pain killers - who is to say that you don't need them, given that there is no real way to test for pain tolerance.  Most people get hooked on Opioids because they started taking them for something else.  

The one problem I have with all of this  - where does personal responsibiity come in as an individual?  We blame the Drs. and the Phara companies, but the truth is we are responsible for what we put in our bodies.  I had rotator cuff surgery last year and the Dr gave me opioids.  I was looking to switch to OTC as soon as I could, so I would not come to depend on Opioids. Part of dealing with pain is mental.  There are Drs that set up pill mill pain clinics.  No one forces people to go there. We know this stuff is addictive, it's not a big surprise.  

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	True...
Date:	10/21/2020 5:26:18 PM

What I don't get is that the drug oxycodon has been around in other forms since at least the early 80's.  I never realiaed till the last few years that it was even around before Purdue marketed as Oxycontin.  I was given Tylox back in the early 80's after knee surgery and the active ingredient is oxycodone in it.  True that that Tylox has tylenol in it also, but so do Percocettes and others. So why the fuss about Oxycontin when so many other brands have the some drug.  Once again maybe CRD, or the fake Dr. RHH, can clue me in.  

Full disclosure, I have taken a LOT of painkillers after having 21 major surgeries.  I also live in constant pain and could be in a pain clinic if I chose too.  I have been in and out of them for years.  Morphine works better for me but has a idiosicrant effect of sleeplessness for me.  

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Amen Hound....amen...
Date:	10/21/2020 5:30:58 PM

I agree with you completely on this.

Name:	CRD -	Reply
Subject:	Nonsense
Date:	10/22/2020 11:06:34 AM

Can't  speak with any authority regarding the 80/20 stat, however, in an article authored by Rafia S Rasu, PhD, Maureen E Knell, PharmD, BCACP in 2017,  who analyzed 690 Million out patient visits from 2000-2007, they actually found that there was a 1.83X greater chance of being prescribed an opioid by a primary care physician than a specialty physician.  Now granted, stats like these from 13-20 years age have caused a dramatic shift in the prescribing rate of opioids, especially in the age group 35-49 which had a 1.5X greater chance of being prescribed an opioid than the 18-34 group.  65+ had a .61X LESS likelihood of being prescribed an opioid according to this study.

Substance Use Disorder, Overdose and Chronic non-malignant pain management are no longer in the shadows, so to speak.  They have garnered the attention of not only the Med/Dent community, but also the politicians, who both have been the forces behind the various state's PDMP's (Prescription Drug Management Program).  But overdosing, unfortunately,  has increased in 2019 and 2020, mainly from IMF's (illicitly manufactured Fentanyls) in combo with Cocaine and Meth.  

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Nonsense
Date:	10/22/2020 11:10:55 AM

Interesting.  Thanks for the response.  I admit I am a bit surpriesed about the greatest number coming from PCP's as opposed to specialists.  

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Interesting
Date:	10/22/2020 1:56:57 PM

That GPs are prescribing more pain killers than specialists.  I remember when I had my rotator cuff fixed that the surgeon kept asking me if I had enough Oxy.  All I got was the original prescription and I had over half of that left when I switched to OTC. I think it is good that it is now out in the open - hopefully people realized that it can become a real addiction.  I guess I am lucky that I have a high tolerance for pain.