Unsealed papers shed light on pharma reps activity in Everett
EVERETT — Health care providers in Everett who supplied patients with large amounts of opioids were deliberately courted by the maker of the pain medication OxyContin and provided drugs despite evidence suggesting the pills were destined for illicit use, newly unsealed court papers say.
The details are spelled out in an unredacted civil complaint filed Friday in King County Superior Court by the state Attorney General’s Office.
The documents were filed as part of the state’s lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, accusing the drug maker of laying the foundation for an opioid abuse problem that is now considered an epidemic.
The information previously had been kept under seal at the urging of the drug maker, who maintained it detailed trade secrets. King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Moore disagreed.
Among other things, the state’s unredacted complaint quotes an internal memo that says in 2008 a Purdue sales representative described patients frequenting one Everett pain clinic as “all 20 year old thugs with diamonds in their ears and $350.00 tennis shoes who always pay cash.”
The Purdue employee was sharing concerns about the Evergreen Way clinic formerly run by Dr. Delbert Lee Whetstone. The osteopath in 2012 was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to federal crimes related to hiding money from the IRS and prescribing controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose.
It took Purdue three years to report worries about Whetstone to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the complaint notes.
The unredacted complaint also details the profligate drug-prescribing practices of another Everett doctor, who state attorneys maintain was recruited by Purdue to convince other physicians to dole out OxyContin. There is also information about a chain of pain centers, including one based in Everett, that was shuttered last year by state regulators after patient deaths from drug-related causes.
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