In May 2007 the company Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to misleading the public about Oxycontin's risk of addiction, and agreed to pay $600 million in one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in U.S. history. Its president, top lawyer, and former chief medical officer pleaded guilty as individuals to misbranding charges, a criminal violation, and agreed to pay a total of $34.5 million in fines. In addition three top executives were charged with a felony and sentenced to 400 hours of community service in drug treatment programs.
This drug should be taken off the market. It is a dangerous addictive drug, it metabolizes in the body the same as heroin does. With the sharp rise in overdose deaths, many heroin overdoses deaths start with the oxycontin pill.



