OxyContin Maker, Execs Fined $634.5M

comment to what chicpoena said:

out of the few deaths where i lived that involved oxy, it has always been mixed w/ alcohol or other drugs (mostly xanax), it's never just been an od on oxys. When i first read the main article i was baffled when it said even those couple hundred ppl died from oxys in those years....i just don't see how it's possible. Youve got to do alot to stop your heart, like the whole bottle and how many teens are perscribed that and have a bottle, they usually buy a 40 of an 80, if they have no tolerance they'll go to la la land....i bet every one of those deaths involved other drugs resulting in heart failure, unless somone was trying to kill themselves.
 
See these stupid fucks that abuse it and OD on it fuck it up for the people who need it and use it for legit use, alot of people actually need the stuff, and these dumbfucks that go around saying its like the worst painkiller ever created and nothing more than a large corporate drug cartel, those people really fuck it up for us that really need the pill to get by in life without pain.
 
I mean, honestly, what do you expect? I think someone may have stated this above, but they need to point the finger at someone. Although I don't agree with it, it makes sense that this would happen.
 
THE WOOD said:
not that im in support of pharmecutical giants ruling the free world of drugs with an iron fist,


but i think its pretty damn silly that someone would sue someone because they got hooked on an opiate. derr... thats like cig smokers suing tobacco companies in this day and age.

The smokers have won many cases , bad example
 
One thing I have trouble figuring out is how and why so many people have absolutely no trouble fooling doctors (often times multiple doctors at one time) into believing that they are honestly in enough unbearable pain to be prescribed the shit, especially 40mg or 80mg. I personally just don't get it.
 
murrkock said:
One thing I have trouble figuring out is how and why so many people have absolutely no trouble fooling doctors (often times multiple doctors at one time) into believing that they are honestly in enough unbearable pain to be prescribed the shit, especially 40mg or 80mg. I personally just don't get it.

The noisy wheel gets the grease.

Normal people in pain often pick up cues from their doctor that narcotics are unacceptable so they don't press the issue and just live with the pain, or they aren't willing to jump through the hoops like regular urine tests and such.

But addicts will go to any length to get their DOC, they will cry and scream and pester the nurses and doctors til they RX just to get rid of them sometimes.
They will take any humiliating treatment or process to keep the pills flowing, they will have surgery to keep the pills coming. They will not stop until they get the drugs, never ever. They are like drug Terminators.
 
why the heck are people defending this company? wohoo for killing people and making billions off of corpses, addictions, and broken families?

this is a slap on the wrist for a company that makes billions of dollars. those executives are having to pay maybe .1% of their annual income to make up for HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THEY MURDERED. and people are saying the penalty is too HARSH? am i misunderstanding some of you?

the only thing in the article that surprised me was the 400 hours of community service the executives got. i'll bet anyone 10 to 1 they don't actually end up doing those hours. corporate criminals actually doing time... that'll be the day. anyone who donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to both political parties has a "Get Out of Jail Free" Card and the law doesn't apply to them.

I'd like to see more people upset about these superwealthy mass murderers getting away with their crimes than people upset the poor, mistreated executives had to pay a fraction of the cost of one of their summer mansions as a penalty for mass murder. Forget the poor people struggling to move on with their lives after their family members died from bad drug information put out there intentionally by big pharma and the government! How dare they inconvenience the executives!
 
I don't consider prescription drug manufacturers "murderers" any more than I consider people making illegal drugs "murderers." Many people use drugs of their own free will; some of those people die; happens all the time. People would continue to use Oxy even if they were warned beforehand that it is the most addictive drug in the world (not saying that is true). They shouldn't intentionally tell people it is NOT addictive, but blaming them for deaths that are caused also by the other pills/alcohol mixed with this drug? I don't think so.
 
I agree the kid was a dumbass for mixing xanax and alcohol, let alone a third depressent on top. But I think you have to look at the internal and external environment of the kid and the thousands of other kids who have died from OC. It's well-known among smart drug users that the vast majority of drug users (like the vast majority of people) are very stupid. But the information in the environment is still very important. True, the rare person who self-educates and exercises rationality regarding what to put inside him is not at risk regardless of what they say, but drug purveyors, especially those sanctioned by the government and the medical community, have a responsibility to make the drug and the information that (should) go along with it available in such a way as to minimize harm.

It is clear that Purdue, like the other big drug companies, not only has failed to live up to this responsibility, but has actively worked against it for profit reasons! People being stupid does not make me lose sympathy for them. We need to protect the stupid, not take advantage of them.

The article said "In 2002, the DEA said the drug caused 146 deaths and contributed to another 318." And Salvia is getting maligned in the media and probably will be banned for allegedly contributing to ONE death. What's the operative difference here between Salvia and OxyContin?
 
I think they should have been charged way more just for the markup of the product they make. they probably pay a couple cents on every pill they manufacture and then they mark it up significantly higher. They deserve every penny of their punishment.

I think a lot of people are saying its to harsh because maybe they are siding with a company that manufacturers their favourite drug. But i assure you that is no reason to side with the pharm companies. If it was some anti depressant that was at stake here i bet wed have much more bashing of the company, but when something recreational comes into play its somehow a whole different game.

Im sorry but purdue deserves much more than they got!
 
how the hell did the judge reach the decision the impose a $600m+ fine after a 4.5 hour hearing?

am i missing something?
 
demons said:
why the heck are people defending this company? wohoo for killing people and making billions off of corpses, addictions, and broken families?

this is a slap on the wrist for a company that makes billions of dollars. those executives are having to pay maybe .1% of their annual income to make up for HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THEY MURDERED. and people are saying the penalty is too HARSH? am i misunderstanding some of you?

Yea I saw that part where Purdue broke into those peoples houses and tied them up, then crushed up pills and then shot them up against their will with a lethal dose.

Are you retarded or just blinded by hatred?

Free will, personal responsibility, google them and get back to me.
 
For me the thing with oxycontin and all prescription opiates that most other drugs dont have is the fact that you KNOW what your getting. Because of strict laws with high schedule prescription drugs, you know that each pill is going to contain the exact amount of the drug its said to with maybe a .1% maximum off-dose rate. For example you know that when you get a pill that someone says is oxycontin 20 mg, look it up online and pharmacutical websites say it contains 20 mg of oxycodone, and nothing else, than you can be confident that the pill contains that 20 mg. People get a feeling of safety with these drugs because they think since they are legal and made by medical experts in a clean area, there better to abuse than stuff thats made by regular people, like heroin, ecstacy, or even marijuana. I personally have never been a fan of oxycodone because I have always been able to get off on hydrocodone, but the times I did it (only orally never any other way) I definitly craved more badly, and would do anything to feel that good again. The high is far more mentally addicting compared to even opium or oral morphine in my opinion, because the euphoria from oxycodone is a more dominant feeling.
 
I don't consider prescription drug manufacturers "murderers" any more than I consider people making illegal drugs "murderers." Many people use drugs of their own free will; some of those people die; happens all the time. People would continue to use Oxy even if they were warned beforehand that it is the most addictive drug in the world


I have to agree that people need to take responsibility for their actions. Even if they had no idea, they would know after the first experience that it was definitely a mind altering drug and not do it again.

No one forces it down anyones throat as far as I have seen.

political posturing
 
baforster said:
"The fines are to be distributed to state and federal law enforcement agencies, the federal government, federal and state Medicaid programs, a Virginia prescription monitoring program and individuals who had sued the company. About $5 million will go toward a six-year company program to monitor compliance with the agreement."

Hmm so is this the governments way of making money..?
"gee we're a little short on cash this year, what drug company can we sue now?"

Bloody hell I'm pretty sure you'd have to be an idiot not to realize that anything can be addictive? Especially drugs. What was once good is now bad. To think almost everything started out legal, and then they really discover the real effects they have. This is just another example of that.
 
angel89 said:
Hmm so is this the governments way of making money..?
"gee we're a little short on cash this year, what drug company can we sue now?"

Expect more and more of this "hidden taxation", idiots in government think they can lower taxes but not services? LOL the money is gonna come from somewhere.
 
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