Yet another former Insys Therapeutics sales manager has been arrested in connection with a scheme to boost prescriptions of the Subsys painkiller, which contains fentanyl, a powerful and addictive opioid, and is used for managing pain in cancer patients.
The feds say that Jeffrey Pearlman, 49, arranged for kickbacks to be paid to doctors and nurses by using “sham” speaking programs. And in the process, his efforts caused federal health care programs to lose millions of dollars for unnecessary prescriptions that were written. Medicare alone lost an estimated $1.3 million, according to court documents.
How did the scheme work?
About the Author Reprints
STAT for the most part is a very good online news source but it went off the rails when the author of this article wrote, “according to the CDC data” because it failed to mention that the CDC inflates their numbers dramatically, does not differentiate between illegal opioids and prescription, and or other drugs that are used in combination preceding death. Google, “Negative outcomes of unbalanced opioid policy supported by clinicians, politicians, and the media” for the facts as I am unable to post links here.
And sadly suicides that are caused by untreated pain or under treated pain are also added into their stats. (The CDC site literally says as much). In other words, the so-called prescription opioid overdose epidemic is fabricated thanks to the media and others such as elected officials who have much to gain from saving everyone from certain death if they don’t halt the tide. Whom else might you ask? How about those who are profiting by building addiction centers in the form of high end, look a like hotels that few could afford if they truly were in need.
I’m not saying there isn’t a problem but since when hasn’t there been a war against drugs? And again, it’s nothing like what we’ve all been seeing in the media almost daily. This is the reefer madness 2016. Just ask those chronic pain patients who take prescription opioids responsibly like I did if you want to know the truth rather than sensationalist “news” articles.
Thank you
Personal responsibility is all well and good, but patients are not really being informed about the risks in some cases.
Further, the DEA is trying to ban a much safer herbal alternative called kratom in the midst of this “crisis.” You may not be familiar with it. It’s ridiculous how corrupt our government has become.
You’re also glossing over the dependency angle, which I understand because most people just assume you have no choice.. (kratom is much less addicting)