20 years...

They were paid on script increases (as 90% of other pharma reos are paid). Unlike Purdue who paid us on dollar volume increase.

Please re read my statements before you make assumptions based on what I did nor say.

I don't want lawyers subpoena ing me is the only reason I won't reveal my name.

 

Not poster #5 but someone who knew Paul and worked at Purdue 8yrs. Paul was a great guy and I always enjoyed talking to him. Would have been longer had the company not ruined it with pushing out Wendell & Russ. However, that being said, I was never once told to speak unethical or push high doses to any HCP. Not only that, I do echo Paul's words that Purdue helped so many people. If it wasn't for OxyContin my grandpa's last days were not spent suffering. Thank you Purdue for the lives you did help. It's sad for the lives that were negatively impacted due to over prescribing HCP's who didn't care about patients lives. Purdue reps and managers didn't write the scripts that lead to abuse. Unfortunately, the pain mills due to cash only contributed to this epidemic. Plus, for the record, Merck sampled Vicodin and paid reps on dosage increases and number of new HCP's who wrote when it launched. Imagine that...samples of opioids for years?!

Paul thanks for always being a voice and speaking your mind. You were always classic for that and I appreciated it. Poster #5 opinion didn't live the culture and form the relationships that you and I and lots of others did. I'm thankful for my time at Purdue and have met some of the most amazing people who I still keep in touch with today. That's one thing about Purdue...even if you climbed the ranks...home office, field sales, etc you always felt part of a team. At least that's how I felt as a leader at Purdue among my colleagues and friends.

Glad to hopefully not know poster #5 because if I did I don't think we would get along very well.

 

Poster 5 here. I'm positive we would not see eye to eye about anything, particularly if you followed Russ and Wendell blindly, like so many reps did. Wendell's boy, Chris Sposato, was notorious for pushing the highest doses possible. In fact, Wendell was promoted in part because of sposato's great numbers. Wendell espoused and adopted everything Chris said. Russ was right there with them. In addition, Russ--really??? The guy who sent out the voice mail regarding the tragedy that occurred on 9/11/2001 (twin towers, etc attacked by terrorists) that at least the abuse of Oxycontin won't be on the front pages of newspapers for a while. How in the world could anyone respect a guy that would even think something like that, much less send out a voicemail about it?,,

I can imagine you feel you owe a lot to Windell and Russ, since, undoubtedly, you made tons of money off ridiculously high doses.

It has never been my contention that the higher doses didn't help a select few cancer patients. I'm sure they and their families are grateful for it.

Purdue got greedy when they expanded promotion to primary care docs. Using the APS and AAPM guidelines (which they paid for), to promote oxy for everything from a hangnail to low back pain. In fact, you might want to educate yourself and read the wall street journal about Purdue knowing of the abuse as far back as 1998.

Yet another poster who says nothing about the legitimate patient starting out whose doc increased the dose so high they became addicted (not physically dependent, as pp would have you believe).

Lastly, I realize that it was drilled into your head by purdue that the media was the enemy. Why not read a little of it and make up your own mind, rather than allowing Purdue to brainwash you into thinking the way you Do? If you don't agree with whats written in the media, that's fine, but don't dismiss it simply because Purdue said they were the enemy.

 

I wanted to write one post and be done with it but I feel compelled by some of what I read to leave one last post. I must begin with a big thank you to all the people who defended me so vociferously. I realize I'm not the only one with a raw nerve about the blame heaped on Purdue.
Remember what we did at Purdue. No one knew how to treat pain. And the pain that I asked doctors to prescribe for was indicated under FDA approval. That's the same government, different branch, that has been prosecuting Purdue. But think of the patients for a minute. I've been enlightened by my situation as to what it means to dependent on pills. If I don't take Sinemet 25/100 with a Sinemet CR 50/200 every 3 hours, I can't get out of bed. There is no long acting alternative other than deep brain stimulation, but that's invasive and not oral. If I had a q12 option I'd be on it tomorrow. The pills are all I have. If they were off market because some idiot found a way to abuse it, I would be pissed. I know there are families that are suffering due to abuse of Oxycontin. They misused the product. I hated when doctors told me they uncovered abuse in their practice. But as simple as it sounds, we can't punish the patients that need a med like I do because someone hurts him/her self. Abusers pay the price for their abuse whether or not they get caught. It should be decriminalized and the abusers get the help they need. But don't put the load of the abuse on Purdue. I talked to doctors about pain management. I did not sell to patients. The responsibility for the abuse is on the abusers. No one from Purdue forced a patient or an addict to take Oxycontin. In my opinion, Purdue's biggest problem was bowing to the government when the abuse came to light. Purdue should have gone full bore to the media with a message of what pain management is and what Oxycontin is. When we didn't, we seemed complicit in our silence. When we did address it we did so to the medical community. Too late. Oxycontin was already branded by the media and Purdue was the culprit. So now it's descended to supervised shooting houses and medical marijuana, which I want no part of. If docs can't order pharmaceutical meds correctly how are they going to dose medical jane. How many puffs is equivalent to 40mg per day of hydrocodone? We have gone 180* in pain management because some poor souls have got caught up in the heroin/fentanyl death spiral. Finally, Oxycontin works. It lasts for 12 hours when dosed appropriately for patients with moderate to severe pain that lasts most of the day for several months or more. That's a fact.
I do regret that I never had an opportunity to say good bye to my friends. Heather K. Todd B Dave G, Todd T. Chris S. J. Stew. Suz R. M.B. Phil K. Rich and Jerry, Jessica W., Kat O, Karen S., Bean of course, Tom C, Mr. Ted F., Eric P, Chief - without saying - all the home office people who put up with my calls and half baked ideas (hey, I cared, so sue me), Matt B, Tom in the 'cuse, Pushpa (luv ya), A Stokes, all time bud Bob Ochse, Bradke, B Chud, D Kalie, Eddie Gargasz, Lisa McLeod, J Witt, Mo, Tom K, Bert w the cool boots, and especially Portesa - you know who you are. And to everyone I forgot, thanks for all the fun, hard work, support, pick me ups and the great times we had . I love all of you.

 

Poster 5 here. Paul, i wish you well even tho i disagree with you. This is America, after all.

 

So only unethical sales people made bonus?

 

Goodness, can’t you infer my sarcasm? Of course not, I was using sarcasm to make a point.

 

You suggested reading the Wall Street Journal, yet that is a a media outlet, which is written with political influence, as is the case with most all media forums. I suggest you read court documents, as those have no political biases.

I was not hired until 2008, so I don’t know what happened prior to that time, but I can tell you, the things you’re implying did not happen while I was employed there.

In terms of those patients who were on high doses, not in the territory I had. The average dose was around 40-60 mg, so if your territory had higher doses, and you feel Purdue is to blame, then so are you, because you must have been suggesting it to your physicians, right? So, put your name up, so you can be sued along with Purdue, because all the abuse in the state and states bordering you, is with absolute certainty YOUR FAULT! You created ALL THE ABUSE AND ADDICTION! It is evident that YOU didn’t discuss appropriate patient types, nor did you discuss how to convert appropriately, nor
did you discuss downward titration. You probably never discussed any risks or side effects, did you? See this crisis IS YOUR FAULT! No wonder you won’t post your name. It’s easier to put blame on the company instead of on yourself!

And yes, I’d repay my bonuses if I felt I had promoted unethically, but I didn’t, nor was I told to. You on the other hand...kinda admitted you didn’t.

 

Started in 2008? Don't think your opinion matters much because everything referred to by Poster #5 happened in the early 2000s.

I saw many of the same issues #5 is stating. I left this crap hole of a co after only 7 mos because things were so very shady.

I, too, am glad Purdue is getting what they deserve...Karma is a b*tch!!

 

I was at Purdue for almost as long as you and i disagree with a lot of what you said! First of all purdue caved to the government because they were guilty of misbranding their product! You know very well with the amount of $ Purdue spent on attorneys that if they weren’t guilty of it they would not have agreed to it! The way they weaseled their way into all the different pain organizations like APS and AAPM and the way they used 3rd party sources written by docs who were paid off, and which had very little if any data to support their position was all part of it as well as speakers out there being paid a lot to say whatever Purdue wanted them to! I don’t know why you want to tout that OxyContin worked for 12 hours because all my years at Purdue I had almost no docs that found that to be the case no did it bear out in their practice.so that is not a fact, as you say! And i don’t think you would find any reps at Pursue that would agree with you! I agree their must be personal responsibility among abusers but no doubt Purdue overpromoted to family practice, taught doctors to titrate, titrate, titrate, NO ceiling dose so the little old lady on 9600mg/day was considered a huge success story and a few patients like that and a rep was a shoe in for toppers with A 100k/qtr bonus! Go Florida! Also patients who weren’t abusing became addicted as well and Purdue had told everyone addiction was “less than 1%” as quotes from a study with no scientific backing! Pseudoaddiction was a term coined by a dentist that worked for Purdue and reps told doctors if a patient came in saying OxyContin wasn’t working, titrate atleast 3 Times to see if they got pain relief because it could be the patient is actually just undertreated! Barry Meier’s book is pretty accurate and even after the settlement and the launch of Hysingla Purdue didn’t learn from their mistakes! The region zero docs were miraculously taken out of region zero when sales were struggling at launch and that says a lot right there! Pressure was at an all time high! Reps were being threatened and put on PEP plans! All because why? Purdue wanted another OxyContin and couldn’t grasp the fact that Hysingla wasn’t taking off like they thought it should! So i appreciate your rose colored glasses view that exonerates Purdue, but i respectively disagree!

 

Paul,

You are an inspiration to all. Thank you, for your messages as it helped me find some peace in a difficult situation. We worked together, from afar, but you are a world class guy and everything leadership should aspire to be. I wish Purdue still had people like you around, to remind us of this...

 

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you to you and to Paul.

 

Anyone who thinks they were doing a good in the world working at Purdue is extremely delusional, self centered and pathetic. Helping patients my ass. Helping put food on my familes table is what I had to do. I worked there for five hideous years. Nobody in my district was calling on oncologist. Get off your high horse and look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you were doing the right thing. Helping patients my ass. I left 3 years ago... I hated going to work .. my so-called partners were the most shallowest unfriendly people I've ever met. The environment from the top down was a complete disease oriented cesspool.

 

So why are you posting on this thread then? Seems like you have deep-rooted personal issues. You should stop your drivel and go seek some help!

 

TOTALLY AGREE!!!

 

Quit trolling you nut sniffer. you didnt work there

 

The post above is correct it was a very unhealthy place to work. I got laid off and Im embarrassed to say I worked at Purdue. My resumes is forever tainted. I drank the Kool-Aid for so long like many others. Stockholm syndrome. No accountability. Obviously if your posting at 2 a.m. you can't sleep at night.. guilty conscience for sure.