DRUGS
PAIN MISMANAGEMENT InSys CEO and founder Kapoor, is accused of “leading a nationwide conspiracy to profit using bribes and fraud” to boost sales of a fentanyl spray.
JAMEL TOPPIN/THE FORBES COLLECTION/CONTOUR/CONTOUR BY GETTY
MANY SAY THE OPIOID CRISIS THAT HAS killed more than 183,000 Americans since 1999 has been driven by drug companies that have done just about everything, legal or otherwise, to convince the public that these painkillers are safe. Even President Donald Trump, who recently declared the epidemic a public health emergency, said companies that make the highly addictive painkillers are responsible for the surge in deaths. Fentanyl is one of the most dangerous opioids, 50 times more potent than heroin. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that overdoses on this synthetic opioid have increased 540 percent in the past three years, and many say the drug is responsible for the epidemic.