scholarly journals Characteristics of Lawsuits against Physicians Charged with Opioid-Related Crimes in the United States, 1995-2019

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia B Berman ◽  
Guohua Li
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Clinical Specialty ◽  
Criminal Charges ◽  
Opioid Medications ◽  
Legal Consequences

Abstract Background: Pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors are intensely scrutinized in numerous lawsuits for their role in instigating the opioid epidemic. Many individual physicians have also been held accountable for activities related to prescribing opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiologic patterns of lawsuits against physicians charged with opioid-related crimes in the United States. Methods : We searched the Nexis Uni ® database for newspaper reports on physicians who had been arrested, indicted or criminally charged for illegally prescribing opioids between January 1995 and December 2019. Data collected from the newspaper reports include defendant’s age, sex, clinical specialty, type of crime and legal consequences. Results : The annual number of lawsuits against physicians charged with opioid-related crimes reported by US newspapers increased from 0 in 1995 to 43 in 2019. Of the 384 physician defendants in these lawsuits, 90.4% were male, 28.0% were 65 years and older (mean=59.5 ± 15.8 years), and 23.4% were charged in Florida. Of the 373 physician defendants with known clinical specialty, 243 (65.1%) practiced in internal medicine, family medicine, or pain management. Of the 248 lawsuits with known outcomes, 244 (98.4%) of the defendants were convicted of criminal charges and 4 were acquitted. Drug trafficking was the most commonly convicted crime (accounting for 54.2% of all convicted crimes), followed by fraud (19.1%), money laundering (11.0%) and manslaughter (5.6%). Of the convicted physicians with known sentences, 89.5% were sentenced to jail with an average jail time of 127.3 ± 120.3 months. Conclusions : An increasing number of physicians from a wide variety of clinical specialties is prosecuted for opioid-related crimes with high conviction rates and severe penalties. The most common crime charged is drug trafficking, followed by fraud, money laundering, and manslaughter.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Lawsuits against Physicians Charged with Opioid-Related Crimes in the United States, 1995-2019

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia B Berman ◽  
Guohua Li
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Money Laundering ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Clinical Specialty ◽  
Criminal Charges ◽  
Opioid Medications ◽  
Legal Consequences

Abstract Background: Pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors are intensely scrutinized in numerous lawsuits for their role in instigating the opioid epidemic. Many individual physicians have also been held accountable for activities related to prescribing opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiologic patterns of lawsuits against physicians charged with opioid-related crimes in the United States. Methods : We searched the Nexis Uni ® database for newspaper reports on physicians who had been arrested, indicted or criminally charged for illegally prescribing opioids between January 1995 and December 2019. Data collected from the newspaper reports include defendant’s age, sex, clinical specialty, type of crime and legal consequences. Results : The annual number of lawsuits against physicians charged with opioid-related crimes reported by US newspapers increased from 0 in 1995 to 43 in 2019. Of the 384 physician defendants in these lawsuits, 90.4% were male, 28.0% were 65 years and older (mean=59.5 ± 15.8 years), and 23.4% were charged in Florida. Of the 373 physician defendants with known clinical specialty, 243 (65.1%) practiced in internal medicine, family medicine, or pain management. Of the 248 lawsuits with known outcomes, 244 (98.4%) of the defendants were convicted of criminal charges and 4 were acquitted. Drug trafficking was the most commonly convicted crime (accounting for 54.2% of all convicted crimes), followed by fraud (19.1%), money laundering (11.0%) and manslaughter (5.6%). Of the convicted physicians with known sentences, 89.5% were sentenced to jail with an average jail time of 127.3 ± 120.3 months. Conclusions : An increasing number of physicians from a wide variety of clinical specialties is prosecuted for opioid-related crimes with high conviction rates and severe penalties. The most common crime charged is drug trafficking, followed by fraud, money laundering, and manslaughter. Keywords: Drug overdose, Drug trafficking, Opioid Epidemic, Medical fraud, Prescription opioids

scholarly journals Characteristics of criminal cases against physicians charged with opioid-related offenses reported in the US news media, 1995–2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia B. Berman ◽  
Guohua Li
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
News Media ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
Clinical Specialty ◽  
The Us ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Opioid Medications ◽  
Legal Consequences

Abstract Background Pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors are intensely scrutinized in numerous lawsuits for their role in instigating the opioid epidemic. Many individual physicians have also been held accountable for activities related to prescribing opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiologic patterns of criminal cases against physicians charged with opioid-related offenses reported in the US news media. Methods We searched the Nexis Uni® database for news media reports on physicians who had been arrested, indicted or criminally charged for illegally prescribing opioids between January 1995 and December 2019. Data collected from the news media reports include defendant’s age, sex, clinical specialty, type of crime and legal consequences. Results The annual number of criminal cases against physicians charged with opioid-related offenses reported in the US news media increased from 0 in 1995 to 42 in 2019. Of the 372 physician defendants in these criminal cases, 90.1% were male, 27.4% were 65 years and older, and 23.4% were charged in Florida. Of the 358 physician defendants with known clinical specialty, 245 (68.4%) practiced in internal medicine, family medicine, or pain management. Drug trafficking was the most commonly convicted crime (accounting for 54.2% of all convicted cases), followed by fraud (19.1%), money laundering (11.0%) and manslaughter (5.6%). Of the 244 convicted physicians with known sentences, 85.0% were sentenced to prison with an average prison term of 127.3 ± 120.3 months. Conclusions The US news media has reported on an increasing number of opioid-related criminal cases against physicians from a wide variety of clinical specialties. The most commonly convicted crime in these cases is drug trafficking, followed by fraud, money laundering, and manslaughter.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Criminal Cases against Physicians Charged with Opioid-Related Offenses Reported in the US News Media, 1995-2019

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia B Berman ◽  
Guohua Li
Keyword(s):  
Money Laundering ◽  
News Media ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Criminal Cases ◽  
Clinical Specialty ◽  
The Us ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
Opioid Medications ◽  
Legal Consequences

Abstract Background: Pharmaceutical companies and drug distributors are intensely scrutinized in numerous lawsuits for their role in instigating the opioid epidemic. Many individual physicians have also been held accountable for activities related to prescribing opioid medications. The purpose of this study was to examine the epidemiologic patterns of criminal cases against physicians charged with opioid-related offenses reported in the US news media. Methods: We searched the Nexis Uni® database for news media reports on physicians who had been arrested, indicted or criminally charged for illegally prescribing opioids between January 1995 and December 2019. Data collected from the news media reports include defendant’s age, sex, clinical specialty, type of crime and legal consequences. Results: The annual number of criminal cases against physicians charged with opioid-related offenses reported in the US news media increased from 0 in 1995 to 42 in 2019. Of the 372 physician defendants in these criminal cases, 90.1% were male, 27.4% were 65 years and older, and 23.4% were charged in Florida. Of the 358 physician defendants with known clinical specialty, 245 (68.4%) practiced in internal medicine, family medicine, or pain management. Drug trafficking was the most commonly convicted crime (accounting for 54.2% of all convicted cases), followed by fraud (19.1%), money laundering (11.0%) and manslaughter (5.6%). Of the 244 convicted physicians with known sentences, 85.0% were sentenced to prison with an average prison term of 127.3 ± 120.3 months.Conclusions: The US news media has reported on an increasing number of opioid-related criminal cases against physicians from a wide variety of clinical specialties. The most commonly convicted crime in these cases is drug trafficking, followed by fraud, money laundering, and manslaughter.

Fake Pharmaceuticals: How They and Relevant Legislation or Lack Thereof Contribute to Consistently High and Increasing Drug Prices

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-542
Author(s):  
Merri C. Moken
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pharmaceutical Products ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Brand Name ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals ◽  
New Applications

The use of pharmaceutical products in the United States has increased more than the use of any other health resource from 1960 to 1990. In excess of 9,600 drugs were on the market in 1984, and the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approves approximately 30 new drugs and countless new applications for alterations of already existing drugs each year. In 2001, the $300 billion pharmaceutical industry sold $154 billion worth of prescription drugs in the United States alone, nearly doubling its $78.9 billion in sales in 1997. With such a rapid increase in market domination and expenditures, the U.S. government and many hospitals have focused their attention on the sales and pricing practices of pharmaceutical companies, as well as other potential factors contributing to these escalating prices. One such cause of the steadily increasing prices of brand name pharmaceuticals is the sale of fake or counterfeit pharmaceuticals (also called “look-alike” drugs).

scholarly journals Estimates of the Annual Number of Clinically Recognized Pregnancies in the United States, 1981-1991

1999 ◽  
Vol 149 (11) ◽  
pp. 1025-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Saraiya ◽  
C. J. Berg ◽  
H. Shulman ◽  
C. A. Green ◽  
H. K. Atrash
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Annual Number

A Paradigm Shift in Healthcare Innovation as Revealed by Research Trends in Mobile Health: A Bibliometric Analysis. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianfei Cao ◽  
Yeongjoo Lim ◽  
Shintaro Sengoku ◽  
Xitong Guo ◽  
Kota Kodama
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Bibliometric Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Growth Trend ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Research Hotspots

BACKGROUND Smartphones have become an integral part of our lives with their unprecedented popularity and diversification of applications. The continuous upgrading of information technology has also enabled smartphones to display great potential in the field of healthcare. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to clarify the future research direction of mHealth by analyzing its research trends and latest research hotspots. METHODS This study collected mHealth-related literature published between 2000 and 2020 from the Web of Science database. Descriptive statistics of the literature were computed using Excel software. The publication trends of mHealth research were determined by analyzing the annual number of publications in the literature and annual number of publications categorized based on different countries. Finally, this study used the VOSviewer tool to construct visualization network maps of country/region collaborations and author keyword co-occurrences, and overlay visualization maps of the average publication year of author keywords to analyze the hotspots and research trends in mHealth research. RESULTS In this study, 12,593 mHealth-related research articles published between 2000 and 2020 were collected. The results showed an exponential growth trend in the number of annual publications in mHealth literature. The United States remained the leading contributor to the literature in this area (5,294/12,593, 42%), well ahead of other countries/regions. Other countries/regions also showed a clear trend of annual increases in the number of publications in mHealth literature. Regarding cooperation between countries, the four countries with the largest number of publications, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, were found to cooperate more closely. The rest of the countries/regions showed a clear geographical pattern of cooperation. The keyword co-occurrence analysis of the top 100 authors formed five clusters, namely: development of mHealth medical technology and its application in various diseases, use of mHealth technology to improve basic public health and health policy, mHealth self-health testing and management in daily life, adolescent use of mHealth, and mHealth in mental health. The research trends revealed a gradual shift in mHealth research from health policy and improving public healthcare to the development and social application of mHealth technologies. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, the most current bibliometric analysis dates back to 2016. However, the number of mHealth researches published between 2017 and 2020 exceeds the previous total. Therefore, the results of this study shed light on the latest research hotspots and research trends in mHealth research. These findings provide a useful overview of the development of the field; they may also serve as a valuable reference and provide guidance for other researchers in the field.

scholarly journals Cuba, United States and fight against drug trafficking: ups and downs of a necessary cooperation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 54-64
Author(s):  
Santiago E. Bejerano
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Barack Obama ◽  
Modern World ◽  
American Continent ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
Alternative Scenarios ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Common Security

Given the geostrategic importance of Cuba for the entire American continent and the increasing complexity of the nature of security as such, and accordingly, of the mechanisms of ensuring it in the modern world, the problem of drug trafficking is rather high on the agenda of the U.S.-Cuban relations. The article examines the issue of combating drug trafficking in the context of bilateral relations between Cuba and the United States in order to assess the prospects for joint efforts on this track. The author presents a retrospective of mostly unilateral initiatives by U.S. presidents that did not lead to real tangible results, in particular due to the prevailing erroneous approach of militarization in the fight against drug trafficking. The new century requires new forms and a qualitatively higher level of interaction. With a noticeable warming in the dialogue with Cuba under Barack Obama the situation has changed in many respects, and quite a few initiatives of bilateral nature began to bear fruit. Nevertheless, with Donald Trump’s rise to power, there is an obvious setback in the rapprochement, in proof of which the author gives examples of specific destructive steps, although this position of the administration met if not open criticism, then proposals for alternative scenarios of the development of contacts between the states. The potential that exists in both countries for cooperation in this area can be realized provided that the interests of common security prevail over political disagreements and state channels of cooperation are strengthened, with the dynamics of this process being reflected in the situation in the region as a whole.

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