Quote:
Originally Posted by GregW
How is someone illegally popping pills any one else's fault?
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What KarL F said above for starters .
Here's more
Marketing and misbranding
Critics have accused Purdue Pharma of putting profits ahead of public interest by applying "significant political pressure" to attempt to reverse South Carolina's requiring prior approval before a person with Medicaid can receive the drug;[53] for "fail[ing] to adequately warn consumers of the risks" of OxyContin such as dependence;[54] and for promoting the drug "aggressively" and by means such as "promotional beach hats, pedometers and swing-music CDs."[54][55]
In May 2007 Purdue Pharma "agreed to pay $19.5 million" in fines relating to aggressive off-label marketing practices of OxyContin in 26 states and the District of Columbia.[56] In specific, the company encouraged dosing more frequent than the recommended interval of 12 hours, and did not fully disclose the risk of hazardous or harmful use.[56]
Later in May 2007 Purdue Pharma and three of its top executives pleaded guilty in a Virginia federal court to charges that they misbranded OxyContin by representing it to have "less euphoric effect and less abuse potential" than it actually has, and by claiming that people taking the drug at low doses could stop taking it suddenly without symptoms of withdrawal.[57] The FDA had not approved these claims.[58] The company and the executives were to pay $634 million in fines for felony and misdemeanor misbranding.[57]
In October 2007, officials in Kentucky filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma for misleading health care providers and consumers "regarding the appropriate uses, risks and safety of OxyContin"; as of mid-2008, however, the case had been "consolidated with other lawsuits into a single multi-litigation suit" in a federal court in New York.[59]
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