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Sacklers threaten to scrap opioid deal if they aren't shielded from lawsuits
Lawyers for OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma filed a new complaint late Wednesday threatening that the company's mega-rich owners, the Sackler family, could pull out of a proposed multi-billion-dollar opioid settlement deal if a bankruptcy judge doesn't shield the family from outstanding state lawsuits.
Purdue's lawyers argue that if the lawsuits continue, the Sacklers will have to waste "hundreds of millions of dollars" on legal costs that could otherwise go to claimants in the settlement. The family's lawyers added that in that event, the family "may be unwilling—or unable—to make the billions of dollars of contributions" to the proposed settlement.
State attorneys general, however, argue that the tactic is yet another move designed to shield the Sacklers and their ill-gotten wealth.
"This filing isn't a surprise. It's yet another effort by Purdue to avoid accountability and shield the Sackler family fortune, and we will be opposing it," Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, told the New York Times.
Related:
- Makers of OxiCotin, Purdue Pharma, Files Reorganization Chapter 11 "Bankrupty"
- Opioid Talks Fail, Purdue Bankruptcy Filing Expected
(Score: 5, Insightful) by black6host on Saturday September 21 2019, @11:58PM (11 children)
As much as I am loathe to comment on my personal affairs I have to say I have a horse in this race. As a sufferer of chronic pain I have done my dances with the opioids. I was told by a Dr. that what I was getting was "Top Shelf" (like it was a flipping liquor). Fentanyl. And all the percocets I could eat basically. And, the bastards told me I wouldn't get addicted. Right.
I took myself off all that crap, it was not a sustainable way of managing my pain. And should I get really sick or have surgery in the future I want opioids to work for me, especially if I'm on death's door.
These greedy, hungry, fuck you assholes have made it incredibly difficult for those that need them to get the meds they should have. Prison is too good for them. I say we put them in prison, feed them their drugs, let them withdraw and do it over and over for the time of their sentence. If they are not tougher than those who were prescribed these drugs that should turn out to be life, which is what many has lost. And, a short life at that.
Sorry for being on a soapbox but I've lived this shit.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @02:14AM (3 children)
I weaned off 75mcg fentanyl patches with weed. It took nearly an entire year, then another year using only weed then quitting that too. There no fucking way I will ever take that shit again, I'd rather have the pain. The pain level in my back after many spine surgeries is about the same as getting kicked really hard square in the nuts. It takes time to acclimate to the pain but after a while it's no big deal.
Opioids are for addicts... period.
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Sunday September 22 2019, @02:49AM (2 children)
You need to distinguish between short term use and long term use. Short term use is dangerous. Long term use is...well, you keep needing to take more and more to have any effect until you reach the lethal dose...unless you have a bad reaction.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @03:16AM (1 child)
15 years on fentanyl and norco. The 15 75mcg patches cost between $250-$600/month depending on whatever bug flew up the Sacklers ass. Never again.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 23 2019, @01:31AM
These stories of people addicted to painkillers prescribed by their doctor seems to be a uniquely American thing.
I have never heard of anyone where I come from taking opioid painkillers for longer than a couple of weeks.
When I had a bowel resection a few years ago (holy shit! Nearly 10 years ago) I had a morphine pump for 1 day, some Tramadol for a few more days, then paracetamol.
I am pretty sure OxyContin is not even available here.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @02:26AM (1 child)
Been there, done that and have the t shirt/coffee mug. I had a back injury from a car wreck. Got addicted to their cursed product about 15 yrs ogo (I'm 47). The withdrawal symptoms were pure hell. Made sure to tell the nurse and doc to never ever prescribe those meds again. Followed up with my doc to make sure they had that in my notes. I count myself lucky that I haven't had that since then, but know honestly if they prescribed it I'd probably take every last one of them and try for more. Pure hell.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @02:43AM
The withdrawal symptoms aren't too bad if your doctor leans out the dosage over time. Weed helps too (my comment above). I do remember seriously bad withdrawals the couple times my Rx was delayed and I ran out. It was hell and a half for the few days I was out of meds, and just like a junkie I couldn't wait for my fix.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by stretch611 on Sunday September 22 2019, @04:17AM (4 children)
Fortunately, I personally have not been addicted to opioids. There was a time in my past when I had access to as much Vicodin as I wanted, but honestly, I felt it made me sleep more than get rid of the actual pain I was in.
However, a little over 2 years ago, I was hospitalized for longer than I care to admit...
After my surgery I had some minor pain; I asked the nurse for some ibuprofen. I was told that I was not allowed it because it was not on the list of approved drugs that was created by the hospital's doctor for me. I asked for tylenol then... same answer. Of course, if I wanted stronger meds including opiates, they were fine and pre-approved by the doctor.
I had a choice, either get the hardcore stuff, or wait until the next day when the doctor made their rounds and ask them to approve something else.
Is there any wonder why we have an addiction problem in this country (and others) when relatively mild over the counter pain relievers are harder to get in a hospital than opiates?
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @02:32PM (3 children)
I think it's a combination of good intentions and bureaucracy. Having an approved list is important in terms of preventing unforeseen interaction between different pills.
There's definitely a belief that patients need pain management without always considering the needs of the particular patient. Some of us have pain and discomfort tolerance so high that we barely need any and may be fine being carved up for minor surgery without anything. And then there are others that are so sensitive that they really need the maximum safe dose to get much out of it.
IMHO, it's incredibly irresponsible of the doctor and hospital to not have somebody available to accommodate a request for safer medication.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 22 2019, @05:35PM (1 child)
My mother had a hospital charge her 400 dollars to hand her, her own purse. In which she pulled out a bottle of generic ibuprofen and took them.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday September 23 2019, @01:58AM
Jesus! What an awful way to live your life.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday September 23 2019, @07:14PM
There's something to what you say as far as interactions go, although I don't think there are any that are in common to both ibuprofen and acetaminophen. There could be some conditions like renal failure and ibuprofen has been known to VERY rarely cause liver problems where acetaminophen shouldn't be given with any liver impairment. However, staff who get and deliver pharmaceuticals (doctors / pharmacists / nurses) are trained to know the serious interactions as well as having EMR systems which also check for interactions when new prescriptions are up. Further, if there was a medical or interaction reason for someone to not have the medication then that reason should have been shared.
There is also something to be said for assessing the source of the pain. "Milder" pain relievers mostly act on the end of the nerves themselves (the receptors), where opiates work on the impulse process at the transmission receptors (mu receptors primarily). So there may have been an assessed reason why surface receptor remedies wouldn't be considered effective.
There may be other elements of the story at work we don't know, like perhaps other strategies were attempted and/or offered (cool cloths, distraction).
That that said, this is likely far more about a nurse who was not doing his or her job / refused to call the provider for an order for something milder (and there are other mild pain relievers than ibuprofen, tylenol, and aspirin) - which is within a nurse's discretion. Yes, there are often a spectrum of pain relieving drugs placed into order sets that are available PRN. But there is nothing wrong about asking for alternate medications. Perhaps the nurse had a valid reason not to escalate the request (like wanted to catch the physician on next rounding to put in the request personally), but there had better be a reason why beyond "this is our protocol."
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