Defective Drugs and the Purdue Frederick Co., Inc

Susy Owen

Attorney

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It was announced today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI), that the Purdue Frederick Company, Inc. will pay more than $600 million in order to resolve criminal charges in addition to civil liabilities stemming from their scheme to promote and sell the pain reliever OxyContin.

Purdue Frederick Company, Inc. actually trained its sales representative to make false representations to health care providers. Some of the false claims made by the sales staff to the health care providers "their targets" include claiming that the drug did not cause euphoria. Additionally, they claimed that the drug was less addictive than immediate-release opiates. They even had health care providers believing that OxyContin was less addictive than morphine.

"The FDA will not tolerate practices that falsely promote drug products and place consumers at health risk," said Margaret O.K. Glavin, Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. "We will continue to do all we can to protect the public against drug companies and their representatives who are not truthful and bilk consumers of precious health care dollars."

One other thing that comes to mind, sure there is big money involved in drug sales and customers were taken for a ride in that respect, but what about the consumers who have become seriously addicted to a drug that they took without having a clue about the strength or the likelihood of addiction. I'll bet that most people would give up quite a few dollars before they would elect to become hopelessly addicted to a prescription drug. Shame on Purdue for the countless lives you have destroyed.