Five former pharma executives from Insys Therapeutics were found guilty this week in a Boston trial where they faced charges of racketeering, fraud, and conspiracy, in an alleged scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe a fentanyl-based medication to patients who didn’t need it.
Insys debuted their fentanyl product Subsys in 2012 as a cancer-related pain medication and were revealed to be funneling millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to push the drug into the market. You can read more about the case HERE.
This is the first criminal trial for pharmaceutical executives based on their tactics to sell opioids.
In a true Floridaman moment, a 5-minute video that was filmed in Orlando is now making the rounds on the internet featuring company employees rapping in a parody of A$AP Rocky’s “Fuckin’ Problems” featuring lyrics like “I love titration, yeah that’s not a problem. I got new patients and I got a lot of ’em.” after being played for jurors this past Wednesday as evidence of foul play.
Editor’s Note: The word “titration” refers to the process where a drug’s dosage is increased gradually to fight building resistance.
The video was first shared at a 2015 national Insys sales staff meeting, according to court documents, and features Alec Burlakoff, the company’s VP of Sales, dressed as a Subsys bottle.
The video was shot on a downtown Orlando rooftop with a clearly visible Lake Eola in the background.
Looks like the pool deck at The View.
Kinda Catchy, no wonder it made news