US to wrap case against drug company executives tied to opioid crisis

BOSTON: Prosecutors on Thursday will present their closing arguments in the trial of the wealthy founder of pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics Inc and four colleagues accused of contributing to the US opioid epidemic by bribing doctors to prescribe an addictive fentanyl spray.

The US Food and Drug Administration has only approved Subsys for use in treating severe pain in cancer patients. Yet prosecutors says doctors who took bribes often prescribed Subsys to patients without cancer, helping boost sales at Insys. All five have pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy. Lawyers for Kapoor acknowledge that Insys paid doctors but contend that he believed they really were being paid to talk up the product's benefits.Beth Wilkinson, Kapoor's lead attorney, told jurors at the trial's start in January that he had no idea about any"side deals" that were being cut with doctors.

Two top former executives - Michael Babich, Insys' chief executive from 2011 to 2015, and Alec Burlakoff, its ex-vice president of sales - testified against Kapoor after pleading guilty to carrying out the scheme at his direction.

Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

US: Wall St opens higher, US-China trade talks in focus[NEW YORK] US stocks opened higher on Thursday, helped by gains in technology and consumer discretionary companies, while investors awaited more details on the progress in US-China trade talks. Read more at The Business Times.
Source: BusinessTimes - 🏆 15. / 51 Read more »

US economic adviser Kudlow says US ready to extend China talks by weeks or monthsWASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - The Trump administration is prepared to keep negotiating with China for weeks or even months to reach a trade deal that will ensure the world's second-largest economy improves market access and intellectual property policies for US companies, a senior American official said.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »