Fueling an Epidemic: Inside the Insys Strategy for Boosting Fentanyl Sales

Publication

Fueling an Epidemic: Inside the Insys Strategy for Boosting Fentanyl Sales

Abstract

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, on behalf of Ranking Member Claire McCaskill, issued a Minority Staff report discussing how the interplay between compensation, for physicians and their sales representatives, drove massive growth for Insys Therapeutics Inc., as it established sales and marketing practices to boost Subsys (Fentanyl) sales. The report published its findings as a warning to policymakers seeking to prevent actors in the pharmaceutical industry from driving the next public health crisis. The report found that Insys executives emphasized the importance of “owning” a physician, through promises of compensation for both sides, which has significantly affected patient treatment. The report concluded that Insys fostered a scheme to profit by utilizing bribes and fraud to contribute to the illicit distribution of Subsys.