Former Pharmaceutical Rep Details How Oxycontin Took Over

Pharma companies trained reps not to promote off-label then immediately did so

OxyContin was expanded from cancer patients to migraines to grow market

Sackler family created Valium pandemic, faced investigation, bought their way out

Pharma companies use shell game tactics to extend patents instead of innovating

OxyContin was ten times more addictive but no human safety studies were conducted

FDA head met secretly with Purdue, helped draft application, falsely labeled OxyContin as less addictive

Reps given $20k monthly to wine and dine doctors with false safety claims about OxyContin

OxyContin's delivery mechanism was easily circumvented, leading to widespread addiction

Sackler family paid $3 billion settlement with immunity from criminal prosecution

Sackler family made $9-12 billion but settlement distribution unclear

Johnson & Johnson profited most from opioid crisis by growing and altering opium plants

Purdue Pharma reframed addiction as breakthrough pain to justify higher opioid doses

Doctor refused family input on patient care, patient overdosed and died a month later

Doctor received $300-400k in consulting fees from Purdue Pharma, incentivizing promotion

FDA official who approved OxyContin went to work for Purdue Pharma 18 months later

Twelve of last fifteen FDA heads took jobs in pharmaceutical industry