Sept. 16 – Oct. 6, 2017 | www.SanTanSun.com
Chandler drug firm facing mounting legal woes BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Staff
Insys Therapeutics is in hot water over business practices related to its fentanyl-based Subsys pain reliever as the state of Arizona, health insurer Anthem and even a U.S. senator accuse the Chandler-based pharmaceutical company of misconduct. In a consumer fraud lawsuit filed in Superior Court, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office alleges that Insys engaged in a plot to defraud insurers and increase prescriptions and reimbursements for
Subsys by bribing doctors and providing misinformation to insurers regarding patient diagnoses. The allegations made by the state of Arizona mirror those presented in a lawsuit brought by Anthem and a report released recently by U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. Subsys is an opioid pain reliever approved by the FDA for a narrow patient group. It is approved to treat breakthrough pain in cancer patients 18 years and older who have become tolerant to other opioid treatments and is a Schedule II
substance under the Controlled Substances Act. The Arizona lawsuit alleges that Insys misled healthcare providers in order to convince them that Subsys had additional FDA approvals in order to drive off-label use of the drug. Off-label refers to using an FDA-approved drug for an unapproved use. Off-label use of prescription drugs is not uncommon. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “Once the FDA approves a drug, health care providers generally may prescribe the drug for an unapproved use when they judge that it is
medically appropriate for their patient.” Because of its highly addictive properties, Subsys, along with other transmucosal immediate release fentanyl (TIRF) medications on the market, are highly regulated by the federal government. The state also claims Insys bribed doctors to increase Subsys prescriptions and disguised these bribes as “speaker fees” it paid to medical professionals to participate in educational events. According to the state, Insys sold nearly $52 million worth of Subsys between see
INSYS page 8
Furry victims of hurricane get aid from local woman
Mesa plans for light rail line to Chandler BY JIM WALSH Staff
BY COLLEEN SPARKS Staff
It won’t happen tomorrow, or probably even five years from now, but Mesa is looking into its long-term options for a second light rail line that would run through the Fiesta District and might even head to downtown Chandler someday. Mesa and Chandler caution that the possibility of any such line eventually opening depends on a lot of factors that are difficult to predict, such as the availability of financing and how Chandler develops in the future. A 2012 study identified a potential corridor for high-capacity transit, which could include anything from light rail to express bus service or even a streetcar, such as the streetcar project planned in downtown Tempe. A potential second light rail line would run south along Dobson Road from the Sycamore Valley Metro light rail station, turn east on Southern Avenue near Mesa Community College, pass Fiesta Mall and turn south on Country Club Drive. Phase 1 of such a project would likely see
Kimberly Carrillo/Staff Photographer
Trolling in Chandler Lulu Bervin, 2, above, and Sky Damato, also 2, were among the dozens of children who came with their parents to family night at Tumbleweed Recreation Center Sept. 6 for an evening built around the animated film “Trolls.” They made troll hair headbands, crazy hair troll pencils, troll lollipops and other crafts related to the movie’s characters. While Lulu enjoys a non-troll lollipop, Sky watches how her mom cuts paper. For more photos, see page 44.
A Chandler woman is mobilizing volunteers as she embarks on a mission to save animals affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Becca Morgan hit Facebook late last month to ask for donations to help dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, cows and other critters stranded, injured and in need of help after the destructive hurricane slammed the Texas coast and part of Louisiana. People Morgan had never even met were quick to respond to her pleas to help and U-Haul provided a free storage unit in which she could store hay, equine feed, medical supplies and other goods for the animals in need. She said many Pet Club stores in the East Valley also made donations. Through her Facebook page, Morgan raised more than $5,000 to aid the animals, and a GoFundMe account she set up had taken in $770, as of September 11. She has been asking people to donate money or supplies to help animals. In order to support her efforts, people could drop off their donations at Shoppers Supply stores on South Alma School Road in Chandler and West Apache Trail in Apache
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SELL YOUR HOME
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F E AT U R E STO R I E S Controversy mars taco street festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . community . . . . . . Page 10 Veterinarian takes over, renames Sun Lakes clinic . . . . . . . . . . business . . . . . . . . . Page 16 Chandler high school quarterbaks shine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sports . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27 CUSD helping homeless students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . neighbors . . . . . . . . Page 39 Greek Festival is all about food, dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eat . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 66
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HURRICANE page 15 More Community . . . . . . 01-15 Business . . . . . . . . 16-26 Sport ......................27-34 Opinion . . . . . . . . 39-42 Neighbors . . . . . . 43-52 Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 53-56 Spirituality . . . . . 57-60 Classifieds . . . . . . 61-64 Where to Eat . . . 65-70