Netflix hit on a gem when they launched Painkiller, the story of the Sackler family owned Purdue Pharma and the outrageous promotion of the painkiller, Oxycontin.
It's compelling viewing, even for those who have little understanding about pharmaceutical reps and their persuasive ways to get doctors to prescribe something that really isn't safe at all.
Each show starts with a member of the public making the disclaimer, “This program is based on real events. However, certain characters, incidents, locations, and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.” They then hold up a photo of a loved one lost to Oxycontin addiction.
Episode 5, Hot, Hot, Hot, hit home for me, particularly. It shows how Richard Sackler, played by Matthew Broderick, ignores the news that many hundreds of thousands had died of overdosing on OxyContin. Undeterred, he walks onto a stage, complete with sunglasses, to a mass of Purdue Pharma reps, in the main, good-looking females. They break into a frenzy as Sackler announces, "We are burning up the competition with sales of OxyContin, it is now the number one opioid brand in the country." Adding, "We are not stopping."
In reality, however, it wasn't Sackler who addressed the gushing Purdue Pharma reps, it was an executive named 'Mark'.
This from the website MotherJones:
"You know, it’s always hot here in Palm Springs. That’s why it’s a perfect place to have our meeting … because we’re hot … we’re burning up the competition with our sales of OxyContin! Do you know it’s now the number one prescribed opioid brand in the U.S.?"
“Now, you’re probably wondering what else can be done to sell even more OxyContin,” Mark went on. “There are also some things we’re cooking up for the coming year to help you and OxyContin and the whole pain market as well.” These initiatives allegedly included collaborating with the American Pain Society to develop materials that would “be distributed to hospitals across the country” and “weekly feature stories about pain and its management in newspapers.” The goal, said Mark, is to “raise awareness of undertreated pain” and to “Make the whole pie bigger, not only for us but for our competition as well.”
Mark concluded:
"I hope you enjoy your stay here in Palm Springs, I know I will. Enjoy the weather … because let me tell you, OxyContin’s continuing success, is going to make every part of this country from Seattle to Detroit to New Orleans as hot as it is here in Palm Springs this winter for every one of you. You are the force for the future … let’s make it happen!"
It could have been Mark Timney who, at the time, was a CEO for Purdue. This is just speculation on my part.
GSK Advair
In 2012, British pharmaceutical giant, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), agreed to pay $3 billion in a fraud settlement.
The three criminal charges involved Paxil, Wellbutrin and Avandia and included a criminal fine of $1 billion. The remaining $2 billion involved fines in connection with a civil settlement over the sales and marketing practices of the blockbuster asthma drug Advair and several other drugs.
Before Advair’s approval, a Glaxo scientist told the FDA that it wasn’t appropriate for patients with mild asthma. The agency agreed but it took five years to make that clear on the drug’s label. Advair, an asthma drug, generated more than $80 billion in global revenues.
GSK has faced hundreds of lawsuits and claims brought by people whose relatives died while taking Advair.
So, why do I bring this up?
Well, the Department of Justice (DOJ) publicly released many exhibits from the 2012 fraud settlement, one of which was a video that shows an eerily similar scene as depicted in the Netflix mini-series, Painkiller.
If you've already watched Painkiller, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Watch the video from Advair’s Las Vegas product launch. Advair’s product manager, Jim Daly, asks the crowd, “Who wants to be a millionaire?” He adds, “There are people in this room who are going to make an ungodly sum of money selling Advair.”
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