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Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

finance.yahoo.com

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Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#41

Post by notl4wy3r »

PrgsvThgt wrote: post #34

Does anyone struggle with the fact that 1) people who are very sick or injured need pain control and 2) the only tool in a doctor's bag is an opoid and 3) we are somehow going after the people that produce the opoids that patients need, to live a less-painful life? Far more people die annually of alcohol related illnesses, than do opoid overdoses. This is the "crisis" is not a crisis at all. In fact, if you review th…

The issue here is not the production of opiod drugs. The issue is bribing doctors. This guy would not be under prosecution if he had just produced opiods.

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#43

Post by jameskegel »

watty wrote: post #9
kolbe wrote: post #2

At least one step in the right direction. But we're still pretty far from reaching some parity with the idea that it's often a life sentence to be driving in a car with someone who commits a murder if you're poor and black, but it's some soft white collar club fed crime to get thousands addicted to your drug, take their money, ruin their families for years and eventually take their lives.

Let's keep comments relative please. Systemic racism is a problem but has nothing to do with Insys.

There are so many new faces in this thread and they all want to refocus the conversation on other hot button topics. Why is this?

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#44

Post by ElatedOwl »

PrgsvThgt wrote: post #34

Does anyone struggle with the fact that 1) people who are very sick or injured need pain control and 2) the only tool in a doctor's bag is an opoid and 3) we are somehow going after the people that produce the opoids that patients need, to live a less-painful life? Far more people die annually of alcohol related illnesses, than do opoid overdoses. This is the "crisis" is not a crisis at all. In fact, if you review th…

I don't think the numbers agree with your assessment.

Taken straight from your PDF link, (emphasis mine) "the increasing overuse of prescription opioid painkillers, contributing to a national drug overdose epidemic and rising drug poisoning deaths"

Look at pages 153, 154 and 155. Drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 resident population (age adjusted) 1999: 6.1, 2015: 16.3

Drug poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics (other than heroin) per 100,000 resident population 1999: 1.4, 2015: 7.0

Drug poisoning deaths involving heroin per 100,000 resident population 1999: 0.7, 2015: 4.1

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#45

Post by PrgsvThgt »

colordrops wrote: post #37
PrgsvThgt wrote: post #34

Does anyone struggle with the fact that 1) people who are very sick or injured need pain control and 2) the only tool in a doctor's bag is an opoid and 3) we are somehow going after the people that produce the opoids that patients need, to live a less-painful life? Far more people die annually of alcohol related illnesses, than do opoid overdoses. This is the "crisis" is not a crisis at all. In fact, if you review th…

You changed the subject to alcohol though. No one said alcohol wasn't a problem or that opioids have no use. We might as well start talking about first addressing everyone killed in car accidents or unjust wars.

I was trying to bring into focus some key challenges. I've personally known two people whom overdosed on heroine. It's a tragedy, for certain. However, I'm just trying to indicate that we have tragedies happening, all over. I think everyone has a very emotional reaction to this issue. I'm just asking people to think about the data...

As for this company, maybe they are guilty, I don't know. If they are, shame on them!!

My uncle eventually died of bone cancer (metastatic). His last few months were awful. They were less-awful, because he had a fentanyl patch, that we replace every 24 hours.

Please be thoughtful, that's all I'm asking.

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#46

Post by mustacheemperor »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #5
kolbe wrote: post #2

At least one step in the right direction. But we're still pretty far from reaching some parity with the idea that it's often a life sentence to be driving in a car with someone who commits a murder if you're poor and black, but it's some soft white collar club fed crime to get thousands addicted to your drug, take their money, ruin their families for years and eventually take their lives.

I can choose not to buy and take opiates. I can't choose to not be murdered. Murderers are much worse, and prisons better serve their purpose when they're used for murderers and their accomplices than when they're used for white collar crime.

A major part of this scandal is the fact that Insys' bribery led me patients to be misled in their choice, by the doctors they trusted for expert advice.

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#47

Post by mustacheemperor »

PrgsvThgt wrote: post #45
colordrops wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You changed the subject to alcohol though. No one said alcohol wasn't a problem or that opioids have no use. We might as well start talking about first addressing everyone killed in car accidents or unjust wars.

I was trying to bring into focus some key challenges. I've personally known two people whom overdosed on heroine. It's a tragedy, for certain. However, I'm just trying to indicate that we have tragedies happening, all over. I think everyone has a very emotional reaction to this issue. I'm just asking people to think about the data... As for this company, maybe they are guilty, I don't know. If they are, shame on them…

As another commenter noted, you are not looking at the data thoroughly yourself.

Also, nobody is arguing these opiods don't help the people who need them. The atrocity here is that doctors were bribed to prescribe them to patients who didn't need them at all.

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#49

Post by amsilprotag »

20170319 wrote: post #8

The cynic in me thinks Kapoor was "sacrificed" to shield the Sacklers. Sort of like how Rajaratnam was "sacrificed" to shield the large banks.

For those unfamiliar, or who want to explore the idea that Kapoor simply didn't bribe conspicuously enough, see [0]. And although it is true that so-called "deaths of despair" are all increasing[1], the trend-lines for opiates look especially distressing[2].

[0] http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12775932/sackler-famil...

[1] http://www.pnas.org/content/112/49/15078

[2] https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/o...

Re: Billionaire Insys founder charged in U.S. opioid bribe case

#50

Post by ryuker16 »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #5
kolbe wrote: post #2

At least one step in the right direction. But we're still pretty far from reaching some parity with the idea that it's often a life sentence to be driving in a car with someone who commits a murder if you're poor and black, but it's some soft white collar club fed crime to get thousands addicted to your drug, take their money, ruin their families for years and eventually take their lives.

I can choose not to buy and take opiates. I can't choose to not be murdered. Murderers are much worse, and prisons better serve their purpose when they're used for murderers and their accomplices than when they're used for white collar crime.

In this case doctors were pushing drugs on patients....for some folks, you can't choose not to be addicted after taking it for a length of time.
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