OxyContin maker pleads guilty to misleading public on drug addictiveness News
OxyContin maker pleads guilty to misleading public on drug addictiveness

[JURIST] Drug maker Purdue Pharma LP [corporate website] pleaded guilty Thursday and agreed to pay $634.5 million [plea agreement, PDF] in fines for misleading the public about the addiction risk of a painkiller it produced. According to prosecutors, Purdue knew in 1995 that doctors were worried that the drug OxyContin [FDA materials] was addictive, but hid that information from its sales representatives. In a statement [PDF text], the company admitted that some employees had made inaccurate statements about OxyContin to physicians.

Earlier this week, Purdue agreed to pay $19.5 million [AP report] to 26 states and the District of Columbia to settle charges that it pushed doctors to overprescribe OxyContin. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Laws of Burgos put into effect

The Spanish Crown put the Laws of Burgos into effect on December 27, 1512. These laws governed the relationship of Spanish settlers with the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. The laws established the encomienda system of labor, promoted conversion to Catholicism, and safeguarded the indigenous peoples from physical abuse.  However, historians argue that the laws were ineffective at protecting the rights of the indigenous population. Learn more from the Library of Congress.

Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public bar smashing

On December 27, 1900, militant Prohibitionist Carrie Nation carried out her first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas. Nation argued that destroying bars was an acceptable means of battling the liquor trade since the Kansas Constitution prohibited alcohol. Learn more about Carrie Nation.

World Bank created

On December 27, 1944, the World Bank was created during the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, USA. Learn more about the history of the World Bank.