Michael Oriente News Today

SEATTLE (Legal Newsline) - After attorneys for Washington State rested their case on Tuesday accusing three of the country's biggest opioid drug distributors of causing an overdose epidemic, attorneys for the defense moved to dismiss the case, including public nuisance allegations and alleged violations of the Consumer Protection Act.

CHARLESTON — The fourth week of Huntington and Cabell County’s opioid trial against three drug distributors was highlighted by an email showing McKesson Corp. employees cheering Appalachian trends shifting away from pills to illicit drugs in 2012. The email was shared among McKesson employees, first by Tracey Jonas, director of regulatory processes, who shared a February 2012 article which said the DEA was seeing a sharp drop in Florida oxycodone. Dave Gustin, a director of regulatory...

CHARLESTON — The fourth week of Huntington and Cabell County’s opioid trial against three drug distributors was highlighted by an email showing McKesson Corp. employees cheering Appalachian trends shifting away from pills to illicit drugs in 2012. The email was shared among McKesson employees, first by Tracey Jonas, director of regulatory processes, who shared a February 2012 article which said the DEA was seeing a sharp drop in Florida oxycodone. Dave Gustin, a director of regulatory...

Cabell County Sheriff Chuck Zerkle CHARLESTON – At the landmark federal opioid trial, Cabell County Sherriff Chuck Zerkle testified being directly involved in Huntington, once deemed “epicenter of the opioid crisis,” has evolved.  During his testimony May 27, Zerkle said he wanted to make a difference and to help combat issues he believes are harming the community. “One of the reasons I ran for sheriff was I felt I could make a difference in our community,” sa...

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: We cant fully answer that question, but a group of citizens may soon be able to. The Washington Post first reported that the Manhattan district attorney has convened a grand jury. The prosecutor has not confirmed the move, which would typically take place in secret. INSKEEP: It is confirmed that the prosecutor has obtained access to the former presidents tax records. So lets sort through what we know with Ilya Marritz of WNYC. Good morning. ILYA MARRITZ...

CHARLESTON — McKesson Corp. made its sales force the company’s “eyes and ears” against illegal drug diversion, all while giving them a chance to double their salaries for making sales,

Originally published on May 26, 2021 11:06 am During years when the prescription opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control, corporate executives at the drug wholesaler McKesson sent at least two memos ordering employees to "refrain from using the word suspicious" to describe escalating opioid orders from pharmacy chains. The documents were disclosed this week as part of a landmark federal opioid trial now underway in West Virginia, one of the states hit hardest by opioid deaths. The case...

Drug distributors have faced embarrassing revelations about their internal practices. One email shared by corporate executives described rural Americans addicted to opioids as "pillbillies."

Opioid Trial In West Virginia Comes Amid A National Reckoning For Big Pharma By Brian Mann  May 26, 2021 During years when the prescription opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control, corporate executives at the drug wholesaler McKesson sent at least two memos ordering employees to “refrain from using the word ‘suspicious” to describe escalating opioid orders from pharmacy chains. The documents were disclosed this week as part of a landmark federal opioid trial now underway in West Vir...

Opioid Trial In West Virginia Comes Amid National Reckoning For Big Pharma at 8:32 am NPR During years when the prescription opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control, corporate executives at the drug wholesaler McKesson sent at least two memos ordering employees to "refrain from using the word suspicious" to describe escalating opioid orders from pharmacy chains. The documents were disclosed this week as part of a landmark federal opioid trial now underway in West Virgini...