Insys Founder Attempts To Shrug Off Blame For Role In Opioid Crisis As Prosecutor Rails Against Company’s ‘Greed’
John Kapoor, former chairman and CEO of Insys, and four others face racketeering and conspiracy charges on allegations that they used bribes to ramp up sales for its fentanyl spray Subsys and lied to insurers about which patients were getting the drug. The FDA has only approved Subsys as a treatment for severe cancer pain. “This is a case about greed, about greed and its consequences, the consequences of putting profits over people,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lazarus told a Boston federal jury at the trial’s start.
Bloomberg:
Insys Founder Tries To Shift Blame To Underlings In Opioid Trial
Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor didn’t know underlings were cutting side deals with doctors who got fees for writing prescriptions of his company’s opioid-based painkiller, his lawyer told a Boston jury at the start of his racketeering trial. Alec Burlakoff, a former Insys sales executive, sought to block Kapoor from reviewing payments to doctors who wrote prescriptions for the Subsys painkiller so the manager could have “free rein’’ over the project, Beth Wilkinson, Kapoor’s lawyer, said Monday in her opening statement. (Feeley, Lawrence and Griffin, 1/28)
ABC News:
Trial Begins For Pharma Exec Accused Of Using 'Bribes And Fraud' To Sell Fentanyl
Kapoor, the billionaire founder of the Arizona-based company Insys Therapeutics Inc., has entered a plea of not guilty. Kapoor, along with six other Insys executives, is facing charges relating to racketeering, mail fraud and wire fraud conspiracy. (Katersky, 1/28)
Reuters:
'Greed' Fueled Insys Founder's Opioid Bribe Scheme: Prosecutor
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lazarus told a Boston federal jury at the trial’s start that Kapoor oversaw the bribing of doctors who were paid to act as speakers at poorly-attended sham events at restaurants ostensibly meant to educate clinicians about its product, Subsys. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only approved Subsys as a treatment for severe cancer pain. Yet Lazarus said doctors who took bribes often prescribed Subsys to patients without cancer, creating higher sales. “This is a case about greed, about greed and its consequences, the consequences of putting profits over people,” Lazarus said in his opening statement. (Raymond, 1/28)
The Associated Press:
Prosecutor: Drug Company Founder Motivated By 'Greed' In Fentanyl Bribery Scheme
Kapoor is the highest-level pharmaceutical figure to face trial amid the opioid epidemic that's claiming thousands of lives every year. His lawyers say Insys is not responsible for the drug crisis, noting that its medication makes up a small fraction of the prescription opioid market. (1/28)
Meanwhile, a Massachusetts judge ruled on Monday that the state’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma for allegedly helping spawn the opioid crisis should be released in full to the public —
CNN:
Sackler Family, Members Of Purdue Pharma Accused Of Profiting From The Opioid Crisis
A court ruling Monday in Massachusetts will expose details about one of America's richest families and their connection to the nation's opioid crisis. The Sacklers and members of their company Purdue Pharma have been named in a lawsuit that accuses them of profiting from the opioid crisis by aggressively marketing OxyContin, claims denied by attorneys for the family and Purdue. The suit had been heavily redacted, but on Monday, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders ruled that the unredacted amended complaint must be publicly released by February 1. (Marco, 1/29)
Stat:
Judge Orders Full Release Of Redacted Lawsuit Against Purdue
The complete document could shed light on decisions made by Purdue’s board and how much money company executives made. The decision from Judge Janet Sanders in Suffolk County Superior Court came in response to a motion filed by media organizations, including STAT and the Boston Globe, to release the full lawsuit, which was originally filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey in June. (Joseph, 1/28)
