Topic: Insys Therapeutics

NPR reports on the criminal conviction of executives from Insys Therapeutics for a nationwide scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe the opioid painkiller Subsys. The trial revealed that the company targeted "pill mills," paid doctors sham speaking fees, and even used an exotic dancer as a sales rep to influence prescriptions. This case marks a significant shift as executives were charged with racketeering conspiracy rather than facing only civil fines.

Federal prosecutors have charged executives from Insys Therapeutics, including founder John Kapoor, for a scheme involving kickbacks to doctors who prescribed the fentanyl spray Subsys. The company allegedly used "speaker programs" and hired doctors' relatives as bribes to encourage off-label prescriptions. The lack of mainstream media coverage on this specific pharmaceutical scandal is noted.