The maker of OxyContin and three of its executives were fined $634.5 million yesterday in federal court for misleading the public about the addictive qualities of the drug. Apparently that’s the best deal that Rudy Giuliani was able to arrange as a defense lawyer for Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin.
Giuliani will likely echo Fred Thompson’s line about the need to separate the lawyer from the client. Interestingly enough, Howard Udell was Purdue’s top lawyer and was included in the punishment.
But perhaps more significant than Giuliani’s defending of Purdue is his work for them as an image-building consultant.
“Purdue produces one of the most effective pain management medicines in history, which helps millions of people around the world,” Giuliani said in a 2005 interview, Newsday reports. “… A balanced approach to the problem is necessary in order to both prevent drug abuse and continue to provide appropriate and effective care to the millions of patients… “
Giuliani regularly promoted such a “balanced” approach and was seen as a “key ally” in the debate over regulation, according to Newsday:
He cast himself as an expert because of his prosecutorial background and his experience with prostate cancer. As part of his work for Purdue, he agreed to chair a group called the Rx Action Alliance, which promoted a “balanced” approach that would address abuse but maintain access for patients — and, as a by-product, sales for Purdue.
The group even put a picture of Giuliani on its website.
He regularly spoke about the evils of street criminals and drug dealers but rarely discussed whether under-regulation may have contributed to the problem. Maybe that’s because he was being paid not to, an undisclosed amount that neither Giuliani nor Purdue will release.
Clearly Purdue was using Giuliani to bolster its image amid the growing controversy, and Giuliani was more than happy to provide the political cover necessary despite the terrible human consequences.
Relatives of OxyContin victims have expressed their anger with Giuliani and say they will work to oppose his candidacy, Newsday reports:
“The country was being devastated, continues to be devastated, and his function was to convince the public that there wasn’t a problem with the drug,” said Marianne Skolek, a New Jersey nurse whose daughter Jill died in 2002 of heart failure after she was prescribed OxyContin for a herniated disc. ” … He is not a hero to the thousands of parents who have lost kids or whose kids are in rehab facilities as a result of Purdue peddling this drug.”
“If he became president, I would like to move to Canada,” said Ed Bisch, whose teenage son died in Philadelphia in 2001 after mixing illicit OxyContin with alcohol. “I’ll do everything in my meager power to stop his election.”
After being slammed by the New York fire fighters, the formation of an “OxyContin victim’s group against Giuliani” would be another staggering blow to the candidacy of America’s Mayor.
cross-posted at Ben Weyl Blog
65 Responses to “Giuliani Shilled for OxyContin Liars”
Giuliani is the most morally compromised candidate in the race, and is ready to be picked apart by a smart Dem candidate.
Frankly, this doesn’t surprise me one bit…after all, we’re talking about Giuliani here. I was on this drug for 5 years…prescribed by a “so called” physician who regularly gave me a written script each month and actually saw me in his exam room for maybe 5 minutes approximately 3 times during that period. Going into a rehab was an impossibility at that point since I had no insurance for the cost of 4-8 weeks (or more) in a rabid facility. This drug is a menace to society. I withdrew myself with no medical supervision. I had no recourse but to do it on my own which I did…in nine days. That so called “doctor” had me on 6/day but I was only taking 4/day and was still a total zombie. So don’t EVEN talk to me about how safe this med was “supposed” to be. The 9 day withdrawal was hell on earth. Our new Internal Med doc told me that doing the withdrawal the way I did, I could have actually gone into seizures and/or died. My greatest wish is to see the 3 execs and Guilani himself become addicted to this stuff the way I did and also go through the withdrawal the way I did…not in some cushy rehab but all on their own just like I did…
Ben…thanks for your reply…it was terrible…in fact, that is probably the understatement of the century…but it was either get off the oxycodone or lose my marriage…that was a “no brainer” for me…I apologize for the misspelling of “rehab” (I said rabid)…guess that was subconscious or maybe the drug just killed off too many brain cells…:/ I tried legal action, however, the statute of limitations is only 2 years so those 3 execs plus Guiliani were able to get off with a free pass…especially after a federal judge prohibited a class action suit…that $634M fine was lunch money to them…well…I definitely learned a very HARD lesson…don’t EVER for ANY reason let any of those pills cross your lips! Take it from me, you will be hooked with the very first one…
Sorry to hear about your problems but I am the other side of the coin.
Oxycontin gave me my life back. I have been on it since 1998 due to pain caused by Rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
I have had four total joint replacements (2hips and two knees) and right now I have bone to bone in both feet and wrists the pain is unbearable and although the oxycontin doesn’t eliminate the pain it dulls it enough so I can have some semblance of a life. (I wouldn’t wish this pain on my worst enemy)
So I get nervous when people start to demonize and talk about banning this drug. It works for me.
So while I’m aware of the problems with oxycontin, (some of my friends and family have had issues) there are probably just as many people like me out there who look to this drug as a godsend.
I’m afraid there are no easy answers to this problem. More scrutiny in prescribing this drug would seem to be part of the solution but drug addicts can be very convincing when trying to score a script.
ff dozer…I am truly sorry about your rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia…my father had rheumotoid arthritis for many years prior to his death in 1994 and he really suffered from it…it’s a horribly debilitating disease and I can understand why you are on oxycodone…however, please understand that I am condemning my so called “family doctor” for prescribing oxycodone for me when we were talking about muscle spasm headaches. I was not a drug addict at the time he prescribed this, however, I certainly consider myself a recovering addict now. I was not trying to “score a script” or anything else. I just needed some relief so I could continue to work. The DOC is the one who told me about it and wrote the script. I was not even aware of oxycodone in 2002 when he first began to prescribe it. His biggest concern was the “inconvenience of coming to the office every month for a new script”. I equate my situation with fixing a hang nail by doing brain surgery. There was absolutely NO reason for me to be on a drug THIS STRONG for what I had. Your situation is totally different and I am very glad that it helps you make it through each and every day. Please see my side of this situation, though. You are absolutely right about there being no easy answers to this issue. Each patient should be considered individually and prescribed whatever helps for their particular issue. However, I must take issue with your statement about “drug addicts can be very convincing when trying to score a script”. If that’s what I had been doing, I might have considered selling it instead of taking it and having the possibility of losing my marriage still a genuine possibility.
Something to say?
liars
Left by TeddySanFran
July 22, 2007 at 12:09am