Exposing the Greed and Corruption Behind Pain Hustlers
The new Hollywood drama Pain Hustlers Based on True Story; is shining a spotlight on the real-life pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics and its role in fueling the opioid epidemic. While the names have been changed, the movie draws heavily from the true story of fraud and deception within Insys.
Pain Hustlers Based On True Story
Insys was founded in the early 1990s by the billionaire businessman John Kapoor. The company developed and gained approval for Subsys, an extremely potent opioid painkiller spray intended for terminal cancer patients. But Insys wasn’t content just selling Subsys legally to the limited market it was approved for. Driven by boundless corporate greed, the company systematically schemed to illegally expand Subsys sales to non-cancer patients.
Through shady kickback deals, Insys recruited doctors to prescribe excessive amounts of Subsys beyond medical need. Top executives callously turned a blind eye to how their actions were endangering patients and stoking addiction. All that mattered was making money.
To ensure insurance coverage for improper Subsys prescriptions, Insys set up an internal unit dedicated to brazen deceit. Employees methodically lied to insurers, claiming patients had cancer so their Subsys costs would be covered. The company stopped at nothing to maximize Subsys sales and profits.
Is Pain Hustlers on Netflix based on a true story?
In 2016, justice finally caught up when Insys executives including CEO Michael Babich were charged with fraud and racketeering. But the company’s billionaire founder John Kapoor continued living lavishly until his own arrest in 2017. Federal prosecutors condemned Insys’ “nationwide conspiracy” and its contribution to the raging opioid crisis killing tens of thousands annually.
When the sordid Insys trial concluded in 2019, John Kapoor and four other top executives were convicted of multiple felonies. The CEO and other former leaders also received substantial prison sentences. But these punishments could never make up for the immense harm inflicted on patients and the healthcare system.
The rise and fall of Insys Therapeutics epitomizes the unchecked corporate greed fueling America’s opioid epidemic. Pain Hustlers is bringing this egregious true story of profiteering and corruption to the big screen. While Insys executives made fortunes by hook and crook, their unethical actions caused unspeakable suffering to patients across the country.
Pain Hustlers Release Date
Pain Hustlers had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2023. It was released in select theaters in the United States on October 20, 2023. The wide theatrical release allowed audiences to experience the gripping drama on the big screen.
Just a week later on October 27, 2023, Netflix began streaming Pain Hustlers to bring the shocking true story into millions more homes. The quick transition from theaters to streaming has allowed the expose on Insys’ corruption to rapidly reach a wide audience.
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