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<p>Hi All,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Two more pieces of evidence that the profit motive fueled the overprescribing of opioids:</p>
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<p>"The <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2019/03/28/new-york-sackler-family-lawsuit-purdue-pharma/">
Sackler family</a><sup class="footnote">2</sup> built and controls the privately held Purdue Pharma, the maker of opioid painkillers including OxyContin. A STAT review of court documents, two decades of academic papers, tax forms, and funding disclosures suggests
that the family and company money that went to Tufts helped to advance their interests, generating goodwill for members of the family who were praised for their philanthropy and amplifying arguments about opioids that dovetailed with their business aims.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tufts at times opened its doors to Purdue, allowing a high-ranking executive, Dr. David Haddox — who
<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/30/the-family-that-built-an-empire-of-pain" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">
in 2003 said</a><sup class="footnote">3</sup> OxyContin was not addictive — to lecture in the pain program, granting him the title of adjunct associate professor of public health and community medicine at a premier medical school."</p>
<p><a href="https://www.statnews.com/2019/04/09/sackler-purdue-pharma-gifts-to-tufts-advanced-company-interests/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=7a647462c7-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-7a647462c7-149620549">https://www.statnews.com/2019/04/09/sackler-purdue-pharma-gifts-to-tufts-advanced-company-interests/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=7a647462c7-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-7a647462c7-149620549</a></p>
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<p>and</p>
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<p class="danger-zone">"Federal prosecutors late Tuesday charged British drug maker Indivior with felony fraud and conspiracy for its marketing of opioid products including Suboxone. The company allegedly created a "nationwide scheme" in the U.S. designed to
convince doctors and government insurance providers their patented opioid medications are safer and less prone to abuse than cheaper generic alternatives."</p>
<p class="danger-zone"><a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/10/711669778/opioid-maker-charged-with-fraud-in-marketing-drug-as-less-prone-to-abuse">https://www.npr.org/2019/04/10/711669778/opioid-maker-charged-with-fraud-in-marketing-drug-as-less-prone-to-abuse</a></p>
<p>&</p>
<p>"<span class="big-cap">F</span>ederal prosecutors have charged Indivior with engaging in a multibillion-dollar fraudulent scheme to increase prescriptions of Suboxone Film, a medicine used to treat addiction to opioid and narcotics.</p>
<p class="danger-zone">In an indictment filed on Wednesday, the Justice Department alleged the drug maker deceived doctors and payers into believing the medicine was safer and less prone to diversion and abuse than other such treatments. The indictment also
claimed the company used a telephone and Internet program to connect patients struggling with addiction to doctors who were inappropriately prescribing opioids and at high rates." [Full story requires a subscription to STAT+]</p>
<p class="danger-zone"><a href="https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2019/04/10/indivior-suboxone-fraud-indictment-opioids/">https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2019/04/10/indivior-suboxone-fraud-indictment-opioids/</a></p>
<p class="danger-zone"> </p>
<p class="danger-zone"> </p>
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<div style="FONT-SIZE: 13px; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><font size="+0"><span lang="en-US">
<div><font size="2"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; COLOR: black">Ed Gottlieb
<br>
Chair, Tompkins County Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal<br>
Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator<br>
Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility<br>
525 3<sup>rd</sup> Street<br>
Ithaca, NY 14850<br>
</span><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; COLOR: blue"><a href="tel:(607)%20273-8381" target="_blank"><font color="#0000ff">(607) 273-8381</font></a><br>
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