Dopesick

‐ Richard, you vastly overspent,

and it's not unreasonable that we would be upset.

‐ It'll work. I promise you.

‐ The FDA created a special label

to say that it's less addictive.

‐ I would never prescribe a narcotic for moderate pain.

‐ That fucking label caused everything.

This drug has only been on the market for three years,

and there's already been a spike in overdoses.

‐ Our community is ground zero

for a growing national catastrophe.

‐ We're gonna do everything we can

to hold someone accountable.

But you got all these people.

They almost never mention OxyContin by name

in the video promoting OxyContin.

And this video is

the first major introduction of OxyContin.

‐ Prove they're lying about the dangers of the drug

and that they're selling it anyway.

‐ I can't lose my job.

I gotta make enough money to get out of here.

‐ There's a new drug. The FDA said it's safe.

‐ Do you solemnly swear that you will correctly transcribe

to the best of your ability all of the testimony

given by each and every witness testifying in the matter

now pending before this grand jury

and that you will keep secret and divulge to no one

any of the proceedings of this grand jury, so help you God?

‐ I do.

It takes 10 to 15 years for a new drug

to complete the journey from inception to the marketplace.

‐ If OxyContin had failed when it launched in 1996,

what would have been the consequences?

‐ Purdue Pharma would have lost $40 million

with no significant product in the pipeline.

Big day, right?

First sets of numbers coming in?

‐ I'm sure they'll be fine.

‐ And how much damage would that have inflicted

on Purdue Pharma?

‐ It likely would have

sunk the entire company.

‐ They're not bad.

‐ We can do better.

How's our video testimonial coming?

A bit slow.

The drug is so new,

there's not a lot of people

who can testify to it at this point.

‐ Then find some. ‐ Yes, sir.

Physicians need to know

it can take its place next to penicillin

as one of the most important in the history of medicine.

Let's hold more weekend seminars

to explain to physicians

how truly revolutionary this drug is.

‐ It's your favorite pharma rep.

‐ If he's gonna bribe you for access,

you should get more than flowers.

‐ How about a mani‐pedi next time?

‐ Yes, please.

‐ And your present, Doc,

is a pen with a titration chart in it.

‐ Oh. ‐ There you go.

‐ Thanks.

Think I'd rather have flowers. ‐

So now that you bought your way into my office,

what do you need?

‐ Can we sit for a minute? ‐ Sure.

‐ I wanted to extend an exciting invitation your way.

Purdue want to invite you to an all‐expenses paid trip

to Scottsdale, Arizona, at a five‐star resort

to hear pain experts discuss new treatments.

‐ Even allowed to do that? Isn't it illegal or something?

‐ Oh, you kidding me? No, it absolutely is.

All the pharmas do it, and, you know, these seminars,

they're a lot of fun, and they're very informative.

‐ Mm. I can't.

I've got‐‐I've got a full practice,

even on weekends.

Too many folks. ‐ Right.

But the seminar

would be an extension of your work here.

There'll be a lot of pain experts,

and you'll walk away with some great tips.

Take your wife, you know?

Two of you could have a relaxing spa weekend.

‐ My wife passed away from ovarian cancer, so...

‐ Oh, my God. Yeah.

I'm sorry. Yeah.

It's all right. It's all right.

‐ Well, um, I'll keep checking in with you.

And, uh... think about Scottsdale.

‐ Sure.

‐ It'll be fun, Doc.

‐ Hey, Logan.

I've been wanting to check on you.

Wanna take a look at that shoulder.

Doing the same.

Still can't lift it more‐‐ much more than that.

Pains the shoulder something awful.

‐ Yeah.

Been more than six years, Doc.

‐ Yeah, I know. I know.

Hey, there's a new medication I might want you to try.

‐ What kind of medication's that?

‐ When a patient first takes OxyContin,

it can be very effective.

The patient often feels like

their life has been instantly transformed.

Unfortunately, the drug didn't always work as Purdue claimed.

‐ Oh, how so?

‐

‐ So we've been getting some complaints from patients

and doctors that the drug isn't lasting 12 hours.

People are waking up

in the middle of the night in pain.

‐ Our entire FDA approval is based on the fact

that it's a 12‐hour drug.

Insurance companies and hospitals won't cover it

if it doesn't last the full 12 hours.

How did this happen?

‐ Well, we always knew it was a possibility

that the drug wouldn't last 12 hours.

The Puerto Rico testing only hit at 50%‐‐

‐ The FDA only requires a 50% threshold.

Thank you.

That will be all.

Don't worry.

We'll figure this out.

It's an excellent drug.

You've got your mother worried sick

about you, Richie.

‐ Well, our patent expired.

Dad would be dead without a replacement.

‐ Because ear wax just isn't good enough for you.

‐ Forgive me for trying to...

make us more than the Betadine family.

‐ I know, I know, you've got grand ambitions,

but I am concerned you're going to become Icarus.

‐ If OxyContin does what I think it can,

then it's gonna be bigger

than anything Uncle Arthur ever dreamed.

‐ Richie...

Arthur is dead.

‐ When Roche hired Arthur Sackler to market value,

he needed to find a way to separate it from Librium.

So Arthur devised a specific medical condition

called psychic tension.

Where Librium was taken for anxiety,

you would need a much stronger medication

for psychic tension.

And thus, Valium became

the number one tranquilizer on the market

by creating the condition known as psychic tension.

Now, we have created the greatest painkiller

in the history of human civilization...

and all we have to do to ensure the world gets it

is to figure out a medical condition

that would require an OxyContin patient...

to double their dose.

Today we're gonna talk about a medical condition

known as breakthrough pain.

Neither common nor rare,

breakthrough pain is a specific type of pain

that breaks through the 12‐hour cycle.

‐ Yeah, I've had several complaints‐‐

or should I say questions‐‐

about the drug not lasting 12 hours.

‐ All right, what you need to do

is tell your doctors that their patients

are experiencing breakthrough pain.

But we have an effective solution

that will allow their patients

to get a full night's sleep on OxyContin.

All they have to do is double the dose.

So if they are on 10 milligrams,

they double the dose to 20.

If they're already on 20, they double to 40.

‐ Hey, if this drug isn't working

like we say it is,

doctors are gonna stop prescribing it.

‐ Then maybe you should start selling Viagra.

‐ Thanks for the help.

‐ Look, the 20 and 40 milligrams

are two and four times more expensive than the 10.

So if we can convince doctors to double their doses,

we will be doubling our paychecks.

‐ Yeah, I get that, but...

what if it doesn't work?

‐ No drug is going to work perfectly for every patient,

and that's not our problem.

Our job is to sell. ‐

Then I guess we double the dose.

‐ Yeah.

‐ Doc, I was able to get some information

on the 12‐hour issue,

and, uh, it's not uncommon.

What your patient's experiencing