Abating Oklahoma’s Opioid Epidemic is Projected to Cost More than $17.5B

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

The state of Oklahoma unveiled a 30-year plan to abate Oklahoma’s opioid epidemic Friday that would carry a hefty price tag of more than $17.5 billion. The detailed abatement plan was slowly revealed Friday during Day 19 of testimony in a trial in Cleveland County District Court where Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has accused… Continue reading Abating Oklahoma’s Opioid Epidemic is Projected to Cost More than $17.5B

Opioid Manufacturer Insys Files for Bankruptcy after $225M Settlement

Opioid epidemic, painkillers and drug abuse concept with close up on a bottle of prescription drugs and hydrocodone pills falling out of it on white

A leading drug maker, whose founder and top executives have been convicted of bribing doctors to prescribe a highly addictive painkiller, has become the first opioid manufacturer to declare bankruptcy after being hit with huge fines. On Monday, Insys Therapeutics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while it sells off its assets after reaching a… Continue reading Opioid Manufacturer Insys Files for Bankruptcy after $225M Settlement

First Big Trial in Opioid Crisis Set to Kick Off in Oklahoma

Prescription Drugs

The first major test of whether states can hold drugmakers accountable for the opioid crisis is headed to an Oklahoma courtroom. In a trial starting Tuesday, lawyers for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter will argue that the marketing practices of Johnson & Johnson are to blame for widespread drug addiction that has devastated the state.… Continue reading First Big Trial in Opioid Crisis Set to Kick Off in Oklahoma

Insys Call Center Revealed at Trial as Hotbed of Opioid Lies

Supreme Court to hear Purdue Pharma settlement case

The goal for Insys Therapeutics Inc.’s call center in Phoenix was simple: persuade insurers to authorize at least 70 prescriptions a week of its expensive opioid spray. Workers would get bonuses for surpassing the goals, a former call center manager testified. Even if the patient had minor skin cancer decades earlier, employees were told to… Continue reading Insys Call Center Revealed at Trial as Hotbed of Opioid Lies