Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Purdue Pharma LP Chapter 11 plan that contains as a key feature the settlement with the Sackler family for approximately $6 billion that, in return, prevents any other creditor from suing the family.

Read more at: https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/1716196?nl_pk=029cff45-637f-44e3-babf-75563f8e0bfd&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=personal-injury-medical-malpractice&utm_content=2023-09-01&read_main=1&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=13?copied=1

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High LDL-C is inversely associated with mortality in most people over 60 years. This finding is inconsistent with the cholesterol hypothesis.

You can find the BMJ study here:

Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review

While guidance for prescribing statins remains unchanged, more and more questions are being asked. The influence of Big Pharma on these decisions cannot be understated. Statin use is now so prevalent that a cottage industry has built up around studying their side effects. Dr. David Healy is a conscientious and responsible professional to follow if you are interested in the effects of Big Pharma on the FDA. Here is one of his excellent articles on the subject of randomized controlled trials and how they are run.

The Evidence that Counts for FDA

The post Hey, Pharma: What if cholesterol is not related to serious heart disease? Would you even tell us? appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

In 2018, the state filed a complaint against J&J, alleging the company misrepresented their opioids as safer than other alternatives in their aggressive marketing campaign to prescribers and patients in New Hampshire. The state further alleged that J&J misrepresented their opioids as rarely addictive, negligently promoted the concept of pseudoaddiction, and disseminated of misleading statements regarding their opioids.

The link is here:

New Hampshire Announces J&J Opioid Settlements

The post More Opioid Settlements appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

Here is one of my favorite (and shortest) posts on my blog about the opioid epidemic and its aftermath.

Normal Like You (More Opioid Fallout: Pharmacies Are Next On The List)

And here is a June blog post about a SCOTUS victory for pill mill doctors.

Finally, here is a story on a recent setback for Big Pharma shareholders.

Judge Dismisses Securities Claims Against Endo Pharmaceuticals

The post Another Big Pharma Opioid Decision appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

Physician Liability for #OUD (Arguments in Ruan v. US)

The High Court ruled in favor of the pill mill prescribers, setting aside their 25 year prison sentences.

“After a defendant produces evidence that he or she was authorized to dispense controlled substances, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knew that he or she was acting in an unauthorized manner, or intended to do so.”

A link to the story is here.

The post A SCOTUS Victory For Pill Mill Doctors appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

“While our intent was not to fuel the epidemic, we failed to recognize the broader context of what was going on in society around us,” said Bob Sternfels, who assumed his role as global managing partner leading the 38,000-employee firm in July 2021. “That’s why we have new protocols and policies in place to prevent this happening again.”

The link to the story is here:

McKinsey Chief Says Firm Failed to Identify Opioid Epidemic

The post The Companies Making Billions Off The Opioid Epidemic Want You To Know They Are (Really) Sorrry (Really) appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

Judge Denies Sarasota Hospital and Lee Health Motion Intervene in Opioid Settlement

I’ve discussed on this blog Lee Memorial’s charter and how Lee Memorial built a government health care monopoly in Lee County, Florida. A link to one of those posts is found below.

Lee Health’s Government Monopoly & Quality Fraud

Accountability is good. It is right and proper that opioid manufacturers pay the full cost of their misconduct. At the same time, however, it is a little galling to see two public hospitals profiting at both ends of this crisis when those same hospitals claim sovereign immunity damage caps for damages caused by their own negligence.

The post Lee Health Loves Damage Caps, But Only for Itself. Everyone Else Is Expected to Pay Full Freight. appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

For nearly 90 minutes on Tuesday, the court grappled with the question of whether good faith is a defense for doctors criminally prosecuted for unlawful distribution of controlled substances. The court probed both sides intensely, struggling with the grammar of the Controlled Substances Act, the clarity of the relevant regulation, and the proposition that a doctor who lacked subjective criminal intent could nevertheless be jailed for a substantial period of time.

Here is the link to the story in SCOTUSBlog

https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/03/in-opioids-pill-mill-case-justices-grapple-with-physician-intent/

The post Physician Liability for #OUD (Arguments in Ruan v. US) appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

“Today, medical science recognizes
That some folks aren’t helped by relaxing exercises.
In cases of difficult tension,
And nervous apprehension,
Doctors are now prescribing medicine.
It makes those who fear they’re about to quit
Feel like they’re ready to begin.
Bidding their darkened spirits goodbye
For the calming peace of a cloudless sky.”

Everclear, Ataraxia

Every tragic exploitation in our markets contains layers. Layers upon layers of profit made from “interested parties” who wet their beaks in the trough of cash bled out of the pain and suffering inflicted from labs and board rooms far away from the rural communities they wrecked.

The Opioid Saga Continues: America’s Big Pharmacies Are Under Court Scrutiny This Time

From the periodical, Risk & Insurance

The post Normal Like You (More Opioid Fallout: Pharmacies Are Next On The List) appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.

I was watching a Netflix show last night and Martin Shkreli (played by an actor) made an appearance partying and “disresepcting” the rap ensemble Wu-Tang Clan. This followed the news this week that he had been ordered to pay $64 million for his part in a Quality Fraud scheme discussed in my five-year-old post. The “Pharma Bro” has also been barred from the drug industry. You can bet that someone else has taken his place.

I be tossin, enforcin, my style is awesome
I’m causin more Family Feud’s than Richard Dawson

Wu-Tang Clan, going Tiger Style

The post Shkreli’s Quality Fraud (is not a one-off) appeared first on The Thompson Law Firm.