VIDEO BLOG: Are Drug Companies Liable for the Costs of Opioid Addiction and the Opioid Crisis?

The realities of the opioid crisis call out to us, again and again. A sea of devastation drowns individual addicts, families, and communities. In response to lawsuits, government investigations and scathing press reports, the typical response from drug manufacturers and their defenders on social media argues: “The drug companies didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t write the prescriptions, why are you saying this is their fault?” Here’s a short video laying out some (not all) of the key federal laws that some drug manufacturers may have violated in their drive to sell more and more opioids – and thus reasons why some of them could be legally liable for the devastation that overuse and misuse of their products has wrought. Full transcript below:

VIDEO BLOG: Compounding Pharmacy Fraud

Compounding pharmacies can provide a valuable services when a patient needs a customized formulation of a prescription drug.  Unfortunately, because of lax regulations and high reimbursement, some compounding pharmacies can also present the potential for major risks to patient health and significant healthcare fraud, especially for fraudulent prescriptions for topical pain creams and scar creams.  

VIDEO BLOG: Protecting Whistleblowers from Retaliation: Using a Corporation or Partnership as the Whistleblower

Partnerships and LLCs, are they the magic bullet to help protect whistleblower confidentiality? In this video I discuss the benefits and limitations of whistleblowers using a corporate entity (like an LLC) or a partnership (LLP) to protect themselves from whistleblower retaliation. In short, using an LLC or LLP can be helpful, but: (1) only in specific limited situations; (2) there are risks that come with using a partnership or a corporate form while you are blowing the whistle; and (3) you cannot guarantee anonymity.