Sen. Joe Manchin backs suit by addicts who say docs and Big Pharma conspired to hook them on opioids
The annual payouts from “Tobacco Money” lawsuit from the late 20th century will be running in the next few years. Have the states become “addicted” to this cash and looking for the next “cash cow” ?
Manchin’s daughter is CEO of Mylan … who is a major manufacturer of generic prescription opiates.. the state has sued drug wholesalers for fueling the WV addiction.
Manchin is also supporting a $0.01/mg opiate prescription TAX.. to help fund the treatment for those who are suffering from opiate addiction. He is also not up for re-election until 2018… typically people will not remember what he did in 2016 by then… His opiate prescription tax has also been endorsed by Hillary Clinton. While a $0.01/mg tax may not sound like much.. that means that #100 Norco 10 will cost $10 more per refill and #100 Oxycodone 30 mg will cost $30 more per refill.. that is …if the tax stays at $0.01/mg and doesn’t go up in the future ..so that places like the Phoenix House needs to make more money.
A West Virginia senator whose daughter is embroiled in the EpiPen price-gouging scandal backs a lawsuit filed by dozens of former painkiller addicts and their families against doctors and drug makers.
The lawsuit, which is expected to go to trial later this year, accuses doctors, pharmacies and distributors of conspiring to deliberately get them addicted to opioid-based prescription pills, reported The Guardian.
The defendants argued that the former addicts should not be allowed to sue because their own criminal actions caused them to become physically dependent on the prescribed medications — but the state supreme court rejected that claim and allowed the case to proceed.
Their argument is backed by pharmaceutical manufacturers, who stand to lose millions of dollars if the lawsuit succeeds.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) backs the former addicts and their families, comparing the pharmaceutical companies to cigarette manufacturers.
“That’s the same argument that the tobacco industry used,” Manchin said. “They can’t go down that path. It’s an epidemic because we have a business model for it. Follow the money. Look at the amount of pills they shipped into certain parts of our state. It was a business model.”
Manchin has been dragged into the widening scandal over the increasing cost of the life-saving EpiPen allergy drug involving his daughter, Heather Bresch, who is CEO of the pharmaceutical manufacturer Mylan.
Bresch enjoyed a 671 percent pay raise after acquiring EpiPens and raising the cost by more than 400 percent — then dumping more than 100,000 shares of Mylan stock after analysts warned she and the company faced a potential public relations nightmare.
Mylan shares dropped from $49 on Aug. 18 to $42.91 on Aug. 26, after the EpiPen controversy erupted.
West Virginia has been hit particularly hard by prescription drug addiction, and the related heroin epidemic.
Six drug wholesalers agreed this year to a $6.7 million settlement with the state after they were accused of distributing millions of prescription opioids, although McKesson Corp. and other drugmakers are continuing to fight the accusations.
The companies argue that West Virginia’s pharmacy board, which licenses drug wholesalers, would have taken action if they were at fault — but Manchin disagreed.
“Look at the amount of pills they shipped into certain parts of our state and the pill mills that sprouted up and everyone trying to hide behind thinking it was legal,” Manchin said. “It was awful, absolutely awful. I believe it was business-driven, it was a business model. Those who have done extremely well on that and been rewarded very highly for that have looked at it as a legal business plan like any other business plan.”
Wilbert Hatcher is one of 29 former addicts or their relatives who have sued “a veritable rogue’s gallery of pill-pushing doctors and pharmacies” who he claims knowingly and intentionally got him addicted to pain pills and then refused to help him get clean.
“It was a conspiracy,” said attorney Jim Cagle, who represents Hatcher and the others. “Doctors and pharmacies were keeping them hooked. They were feeding the addiction.”
Some of the physicians and pharmacists named in the suit have been jailed or lost their medical licenses.
“It’s a circle — you go to the doctor and they bill you,” said Hatcher, who has been clean for about three years but lost a decade to drug addiction. “The pharmacy, they’re a part of it because they were giving out a whole bunch of pills. It’s business. This is spit town. How many pills were they selling? Enough for a major city. This is ridiculous.”
Filed under: General Problems
“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) backs the former addicts and their families, comparing the pharmaceutical companies to cigarette manufacturers”
Can you believe this Prick?
First, there is no such thing as a former addict, once an addict always an addict. Addiction is not the fault on the tool used to fuel it, addiction is the fault of a mental illness called Addictive Personality Disorder.
Next, we need to find out what this Assholes angle is. There has to be something huge going on at Mylan because I don’t think that Manchin would intentionally screw over his own Daughter.
Third, An investigation should be initiated to find out which Senators and Congressmen are benefitting from all this legislation that’s screwing over pain sufferers.
Fourth, Any and evidence found to show that elected officials are benefitting or prospering from any legislation they pass used to increase profits of any pharmaceutical company by hindering access to needed pain medications should be used in criminal litigation against those elected officials.
Finally, All these BUMS need to.GO!!!!
We have the most powerful weapon in the Arsenal to change the face on the political portrait, OUR VOTES!!! Everyone who reads this should share it with every pain group their in. Then tell everyone in those groups to share it with every group their in. Help spread the word to VOTE FOR THE OTHER GUYS and NOT those up for re-election on November 8th. Show them what over 100 million pissed off pain suffers can do. THEN, AND THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, YOU MUST ALL FORGET CURRENT POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION. YOU NEED TO STOP HAVING PETTY ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHO’S A BETTER CANIDATE AND VOTE FOR THE OTHER GUYS NO MATTER WHAT PARTY THEY ARE IN!!!!!!!!!
If they want someone to blame, they need to go after the DEA! The DEA ALLOWED pill mills to pop up everywhere & were well aware of what they were doing, yet did not take action for 10 YEARS!! Funny that their big crackdown came right after our gov’t took control of the poppy fields in Afghanistan & now heroin is flooding our streets!!
While I believe that there were bad docs that took advantage & created some innocent addicts & in those cases, the doc does bear responsibility in part. However, there were MANY patients that also took advantage of the docs & were indeed drug seeking!
This is no different than when docs sued Purdue over misrep. oxycontin because they did not want to take responsibility for overprescribing it. Oxycodone has been used for many, many years, yet these docs acted like just because Purdue added a time release coating; they no longer had any idea about how addictive it could be? If that is really what they believed, then they had no business prescribing it in the 1st place as they had no common sense & were completely ignorant!
Now the addicts are going to do the same thing! While addiction is a very real illness & no one chooses to become one; but for those that know they are sick, continue to abuse instead of seeking medical treatment, that IS a CHOICE that they made regardless of harm.
Whatever the outcome, they are SOLELY RESPONSIBILE for THEIR DECISION!
All meds. have risks; but if the benefit out weighs those risks, we choose to take it & accept the risks are worth it. Just like someone that takes an NSAID then has a stroke, you can’t sue the doc as NSAIDS carry a risk of stroke & was not the docs fault!
I am absolutely disgusted by the blame game that puts chronic pain patients lives in peril. Stop the failed war on drugs. Defund the corrupt DEA.
Our very lives depend upon voting Libertarian this time. You don’t have to risk your life. Just vote Gary Johnson.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GLAh3pui-CI&feature=youtu.be
No one forced them to drive to the clinic to obtain refills. No one forced them to drive to the pharmacy to have that medication filled. No one forced them to hand over the money for that medication. No one forced the medication down their throats.
These people are not helpless little children who did not know better. These people are full-grown adults who, upon receiving pain medication, used their own free will to do each of the activities listed above to obtain the medication over and over and over again.
For as long as I can remember, each time I’ve filled a medication, I have always received a print out about the medication from the pharmacy. Pharmacies don’t put that printed info in your bag of meds for sh*ts & giggles. Take some damn responsibility for yourself and READ! Research something before cramming it down your throat!
One man who is part of the lawsuit had a crushed sternum and broken ribs. Perhaps he would have been happier had they have told him to go home and just live with the pain until his injuries healed. Perhaps he would be happier living in a third world country where so many suffer needlessly due to their government restricting pain medication.
Wilbert Hatcher, another one who is part of the lawsuit, admits “he was alert to the dangers because he once counselled drug addicts” prior to receiving the first prescription. SERIOUSLY???
Spot on! Couldn’t agree more with what you’ve said!
Give me a break! If someone doesn’t wipe their butt after taking a shit and ends up stinking who are they going to sue? I am sick and tired of no one being responsible for their own actions!